Source: Team_Talk
Door ajar for forgotten man Sidwell
Steve Sidwell could get the chance to relaunch his Aston Villa career after Stiliyan Petrov was ruled out for two months with a knee problem.[LNB] Sidwell came in for praise for his performance from Villa boss Gerard Houllier after replacing Petrov during the first half of Saturday's 1-0 reverse at Sunderland.[LNB]With Fabian Delph recovering from knee surgery and James Milner departed to Manchester City, Sidwell is the only experienced midfielder available to line up alongside Nigel Reo-Coker.[LNB]He has failed to hold down a regular first-team spot since his arrival from Chelsea two seasons ago.[LNB]But with Houllier unable to strengthen until January, the ex-Reading player will be in strong contention.[LNB]Houllier had initially hoped Petrov could be back in action within two to three weeks with his lateral ligament setback if it was a grade one injury.[LNB]But the ex-Liverpool boss conceded the Bulgarian international is likely to be out of action until the festive season or early in the new year.[LNB]Houllier confirmed: "Unfortunately I think we have lost Stiliyan Petrov for maybe at least two months.[LNB]"We will see if he needs an operation or not. We will know that by the middle of the week.[LNB]"It is a shame because he was getting up to a good level and he had got man of the match in the previous game against Chelsea."[LNB]Houllier has to decide who will skipper Villa in his absence and Reo-Coker will be a strong candidate.[LNB]He wore the armband during the Carling Cup third-round tie against Blackburn when Petrov was rested.[LNB]Reo-Coker has also had spells as skipper of the England Under-21s and West Ham, and Houllier spoke last week of the "trust" he has in the player since being brought back into the side.[LNB]If Sidwell gets the nod from Houllier, it will be a new-look central midfield combination.[LNB]Reo-Coker also had limited opportunities under Houllier's predecessor, Martin O'Neill, after a much-publicised training ground bust-up.
