Darren Bent given second chance at Aston Villa

Alan Hutton will also be welcomed back from the cold as Lambert performed a shock U-turn.

Chairman Randy Lerner is believed to expect all available players to be used as he is reluctant to spend as he looks to sell this summer.

Record signing Bent and Hutton were sidelined before being sent on loan last season.

Charles N'Zogbia was not expected to be in Lambert's plans even before he suffered a serious Achilles injury last year but will now be considered.

Stephen Ireland, who was also sidelined before joining Stoke, labelled them Bomb Squad after they were frozen out.

But Lambert will consider them for selection with his options limited and uncertainty over Villa's power in the transfer market.

"Everyone is even now. Everyone is level, that's what you can do," he said. "It's publically known what's happened and everyone is on a level playing field. The only uncertainty is the main one – how long does the club take to get sold?"

Bent was loaned to Fulham last season but scored just three goals as the Cottagers were relegated from the Premier League.

He was captain before Lambert stripped him of the armband and he spent most of last season on the bench. Only last month the manager said there was no way back for the striker.

Hutton has not played under Lambert since the boss' arrival in 2012 and the boss has admitted the Scotland international was ostracised because of his high wages, around £40,000-a-week.

N'Zogbia missed all of last season after rupturing his Achilles in June although he has recovered and will be fit and available for next season after the club's climb-down.

Lambert, who released Marc Albrighton and Nathan Delfouneso yesterday, is only likely to have around £15m to spend in the summer but despite the cloud over the club he has no regrets joining.

He said: "No, if it all ended tomorrow you would take an unbelievable experience. It's a brilliant club, the pressure is big and things have happened now but there's always something good to come out of it.

"You make mistakes like everyone else but you learn from them to make sure they don't happen again."