Villa manager Martin O’Neill has hailed midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker’s response to their training ground bust-up and insisted – ‘we have moved on.’

Reo-Coker was handed his first start since last month’s row in Tuesday’s Carling Cup win over Sunderland, playing 90 minutes before being substituted ahead of extra-time, although he is a doubt for tomorrow’s Everton trip with fatigue.

O’Neill has been delighted with the player’s attitude and has challenged him to reproduce his form in training in matches.

The manager said: “I think we’ve moved on. In the training sessions with Nigel in the last couple weeks he’s been really excellent.

“What he wants to do is transfer the confidence from the training matches and start taking it up and using it in for sustained periods in games.”

Reo-Coker is one of a trio of injury concerns for Villa before tomorrow’s trip to Everton, along with Stephen Warnock and Emile Heskey.

Warnock sat out training yesterday after injuring his ankle in Tuesday’s Carling Cup win at Sunderland and is the biggest concern, while Heskey and Reo-Coker are both feeling the affects of Villa’s bruising battle in the north east.

But O’Neill remains hopeful he will be able to call on the trio for the visit to Goodison Park.