Aston Villa right-back Luke Young is confident he will be fully fit for pre-season training after missing the campaign finale with a foot problem.

Young has been one of Villa's most consistent players since his £5million move last summer from Middlesbrough and even impressed for a spell at left-back when Nicky Shorey was out of favour with manager Martin O'Neill.

The one-time England defender said: "I was playing on it and not giving the injury the chance to settle down."

He added: "It has been a bit frustrating because sometimes you can't perform how you want to. I couldn't get about the pitch as I would have liked.

"I wasn't really training through the week. I was just training Friday and playing Saturday and it is not ideal but in the end it got the better of me.

"I've not done anything for a couple of weeks and it is a bit better.

"I can still feel it, but hopefully by the time we come back in July it will be as good as new and I'll be ready to go for the new season.

"If I rest it enough, I can come back for the start of pre-season. I don't need surgery. It is just severe bone-bruising but the constant impact was just not giving it the chance to get better."