Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock

Aston Villa full-back Stephen Warnock is facing a race to be fit for the Carling Cup final after being ruled out for at least another fortnight.

Warnock has missed Villa's last two Premier League games after picking up a shin injury in the FA Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion last month.

The defender, who has impressed since joining from Blackburn Rovers last summer, requires a further two weeks' rest before the problem will be reassessed.

That timeframe may give Martin O'Neill cause for concern ahead of the Carling Cup final, with Villa facing Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday 28th February.

"Stephen will have to rest for a while," O'Neill told the club's official website. "We will have a look and see how he is in a couple of weeks. That is what the specialist has said.

"We will have to see if it settles down. Obviously, he's desperate to be playing. It's disappointing because he's been brilliant for us."

Meanwhile, striker John Carew could return to the Villa side against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday after sitting out the last four games with a knee injury.

O'Neill said: "John has been training the last few days now and has had no reaction.

"Therefore, in terms of fitness, he would be in better condition than he was last week."

O'Neill will continue to monitor the fitness of skipper Stiliyan Petrov who has continued playing despite the handicap of an Achilles problem in recent weeks.

The Villa boss added: "We are just going to have to monitor Stiliyan. We have games coming up and he is keen to play on. This week, with no midweek match, has given him a bit of a breather.

"That is a good thing, but we don't have too many of those between now and the end of the season and we will have to see how it goes."