Dutch international defender Wilfred Bouma, who sustained a horrific ankle injury in Aston Villa's Intertoto Cup match against Odense on Saturday, could be playing again sooner than expected.

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Bouma, 30, had a successful operation on his dislocated right ankle on Sunday when the ankle was reset and a plate inserted to stabilise the area.

"The operation went very well. Freddie is in good spirits. Everybody is very optimistic he will make a rapid recovery," Villa manager Martin O'Neill said.

The website report stated the club hoped he would be playing again within four to six months.

"It was a bad injury but with the level of treatment he has had and the post-operative prognosis we've been given, we're all hoping to see him back, perhaps sooner than everyone expected on Saturday night," added O'Neill.

The injury happened early in the match against the Danish side at Villa Park which Villa won 1-0 for a 3-2 aggregate win to secure a place in the final qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.

O'Neill added: "It's terrible news because he played every single game last season. He was fantastic but he'll come through it."

Bouma also made two appearances for the Netherlands in Euro 2008 and has played 34 times for his national team. He joined Villa for £3.5 million from PSV Eindhoven in 2005.