Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish has revealed the extent of a serious kidney injury which could have ended his professional career for good. The youngster sustained the problem after a challenge by close friend and Watford midfielder Tom Cleverley in pre-season and this saw him miss the opening months of the Championship campaign.

In an interview with The Mirror, he said: “I took a kick to the kidney and it split in two places. It was pouring with blood, internally, for about five hours. It’s the worst pain I’ve ever been in. I went to Heartlands hospital in Birmingham. They found out what it was and I was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth for an operation. Before it happened, the surgeon had to tell me the consequences of what could happen if it didn’t work. He looked me in the eye and said, ‘Jack, you could die’. My reply was, ‘What?’ I was genuinely scared. I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason. I came back from that injury a different person.”

Aston Villa assistant Colin Calderwood has said that the club are behind Steve Bruce as he returns from a difficult week in his personal life. The 57-year-old witnessed the death of his mother in the week just past and he has since got to know the news of his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who is under intensive care in the hospital.

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has revealed that Jonathan Kodjia could be restricted to a bench role having only recently recovered from an injury. The Ivorian is arguably the Villain’s biggest goal threat, but Bruce is not taking the risk of throwing him straight into the line-up with the club’s automatic promotion hopes more or less over.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker believes Jack Wilshere should turn his back on Arsenal and pursue a fresh challenge elsewhere during the summer. The England international has reached a contract impasse at the north London club, and there is a huge possibility that he could leave on a free transfer in the summer.

Former Liverpool midfielder-turned-pundit Jamie Redknapp has suggested that Aston Villa have made one of the signing of the Championship season in the form of skipper John Terry. The former England international returned from a foot injury at the turn of the year, and he has been crucial to their drive to secure top-flight promotion.

Despite a slow start to the season, the Villains find themselves right in the mix for an automatic promotion bid, and Redknapp, speaking to The Mail, believes Terry has been the key influence behind the club’s successful run, he said: "Aston Villa invested in Terry, now 37, by taking on his wages and if they get promoted to the Premier League, he will have been worth every penny. What you don’t see is the influence he has in that dressing room. A bad atmosphere can set in but it only takes one or two lads like JT and that can soon change. Villa are third in the Championship and their new leader can go down as one of the signings of the season."

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has clarified that Sam Johnstone will honour the remainder of his loan contract with the Villains despite the ongoing interest from West Bromwich Albion. The 24-year-old has been identified as the prime target for the Baggies, who are eyeing a long-term replacement for Ben Foster.

Villa claimed a convincing 5-0 win over Bristol City to keep their promotion hopes alive on New Year's Day and shortly after the game, Bruce stressed that Johnstone is unlikely to be recalled by parent club Manchester United midway through the campaign.

Aston Villa midfielder Alberto Adomah has earned the praise of manager Steve Bruce after a brace against QPR during the weekend. The 29-year-old came up with two goals to respond to Jamie Mackie’s 18th minute goal. The home team had taken the lead after a disappointing mistake from Sam Johnstone. This was the worst possible start for Villa considering that QPR tend to do well at home. However, Steve Bruce’s promotion hopefuls continued to plug away and were able to get a much-needed equaliser through Adomah’s penalty. The midfielder then scored the winner in the 54th minute to provide a decisive advantage for Villa in the championship table.

After the game, manager Steve Bruce claimed that will certainly deserved to take the three points from the game since they were hungry and showed a better attitude than the opposition. It has been an inconsistent few weeks for QPR but they have been performing well at Loftus Road. Bruce still has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but he tried to direct the attention away from his managerial record by claiming that the squad has improved tremendously in the last one year. The biggest change at Villa happens to be the influx of youth, while players like John Terry have also been added to the squad in order to provide experience.

Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack has refused to rule out the prospect of extending his stay with Australian A-League side Melbourne City. The Scotland international joined the club Down Under back on a season-long loan in September after he fell out-of-favour under Villains head coach Steve Bruce. The former Fulham man has since contributed three goals in five appearances.

Speaking to reporters, the 31-year-old was open to the possibility of an extension beyond the New Year although he admits that he misses his family. The marksman have replaced Bruno Fornaroli in Melbourne's line-up, and his potential return could yet hamper McCormack's chances of regular first-team action.

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce admits that he had no chance of stopping Jonathan Kodjia from jetting off on international duty with the Ivory Coast.

The former Hull City boss had hoped that his main striker would seek an extended rest at Bodymoor Heath after a run of four games in a fortnight following his five-month injury layoff.

Scotland international Robert Snodgrass reckons that Aston Villa have to be ‘together as one’ in order to clinch promotion to the top-flight.

The 29-year-old joined the Villains on a season-long loan from West Ham United earlier last month, and he has immediately set about making an impression with the West Midlands outfit.