ASTON VILLA MANAGER Paul Lambert says Richard Dunne has had a setback in his recovery from injury.
The Ireland defender has been sidelined with groin and hip injuries and has not featured since the disastrous Euro 2012 campaign in Poland.
Lambert had hinted he was considering a recall for the Dubliner ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash with Newcastle.
Dunne did not feature in the starting XI or on the bench however and when asked about the player’s fitness after the 2-1 defeat to the Magpies, the under-pressure Scot admitted Dunne was again an injury concern.
The Ireland international will be assessed by the club in the coming days, he added. Villa slipped into the relegation zone tonight thanks to that latest home defeat.
Ireland face Sweden in Stockholm in March, days before a home tie with Austria in a crunch World Cup qualification double header.