Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is contemplating recalling midfielder Lee Hendrie from a loan spell at Stoke.
O'Neill already had one of the smaller squads in the Barclays Premiership at his disposal when he took charge in August.
But the additional loss of Luke Moore, Gavin McCann, Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry at various stages has further stretched his resources.
Moore (shoulder) and Laursen (knee) will be out until the new year and O'Neill is aware his side face 10 games between now and the start of January.
'Recalling Lee Hendrie is a distinct possibility and, as he gets fitter with every game, it can only be better news for us,' admitted O'Neill, who has steered Villa to fourth in the table.
