Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland has issued a further update on his rehabilitation, as he eyes a return to first-team action.

The Norwegian was ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing his Achilles in January, after emerging as a regular for the Villans, making 23 appearances in all competitions this term.

The 28-year-old offered supporters an injury update on his Instagram story early Wednesday afternoon, revealing that he was on his way to meet up with his surgeon in London.

And, after a successful trip, the shot-stopper then posted another promising injury update later on, claiming that his return from injury is "looking really good".

Lovre Kalinic has been a regular for Villa ever since Nyland's injury, however it is fair to say that the Croatian international has certainly divided opinions since his arrival at Villa Park, and has failed to shore up the West Midlands side's leaky defence.

Villa currently sit 13th in the Sky Bet Championship table, eight points off the play-off places after one win in their last 10 games.

The Verdict

This is obviously a boost for Villa, although I'm not sure that Nyland's return would really benefit them this season.

Villa have plenty of talented options in between the sticks, and Lovre Kalinic has hardly impressed me since joining the club in January.

But I don't really think that it would help his team if Smith were to drop Kalinic - it would be detrimental for his confidence if he were to drop him at this stage of the season.