Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar has stressed the importance of his teammate Jores Okore not being rushed back into action.

The Danish international suffered knee ligament damage back in September during what was only his fourth appearance for the club.

Having undergone surgery and rehabilitation, the Dane has been tipped to return to action next month, but Vlaar has insisted that the 21-year-old should only play when he is "100% fit".

"He's in every day, ever since he started to recover. It's not always been easy for him but he works really hard, his spirit is really good. He's always happy," Vlaar is quoted as saying by the Birmingham Mail.

"Of course he will have his hard moments but if he needs us we try to be there for him and try to help him as much as we can. He has only played a few games but it is really important not to rush him back. He has to be 100% fit and then we will see how he is when he gets back."

Okore is believed to have cost Villa £4m when they signed him from Nordsjaelland last summer.