Benteke inbound

Good, if somewhat vague news for all Villa fans - Christian Benteke's impending return is yet more impending according to Paul Lambert. Asked after the Arsenal match about a possible return against Chelsea, Lambert told the AVFC Official Site that "I'm not sure if that one might be a bit early. But you're not looking too far after that I think."

Five months after an achilles injury, Benteke returned to training last week and will train again this week. Lambert appears to be saving him for an impact appearance in the first-side, confirming he would not be appearing for the U21s in their upcoming friendlies.

Benteke's recovery has been running ahead of schedule after he missed the World Cup with Belgium after an initial prediction of a ‘minimum of six months' out.

While Villa´s impressive early start and Gabby and Andi getting a couple of goals each has reduced the desperation to have the target-man back, the capitulation to Arsenal showed what we're missing. An aerial threat which doesn´t primarily feature Philippe Senderos or Ciaran Clark would be amongst the chief benefits of his return.

Let's hope that the link to tickets for the Man City match that the AVFC Official Site put up next to the news is more than just a tease.