Carlos will plug the Villa gap, says Shay

Shay Given today backed Carlos Cuellar to fill the defensive boots of Richard Dunne.

Dunne underwent an operation on a fractured collarbone on Monday and was ruled out until at least April after he fell awkwardly in Villa's 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City.

With Ciaran Clark also absent for a month with knee ligament trouble, boss Alex McLeish will give Spanish defender Cuellar an extended run in the team at the heart of the defence.

"It is a big loss because he has been the mainstay of our defence all season – Richard hasn't missed a game," said the Villa keeper.

"'Dunnie' is a leader and he has been the rock at the heart of the team. He will be a big loss and we will miss him but there is nothing we can do so, for me, it is all about looking at the other side of the coin and who can come in and help us get the results that we need.

"Carlos is a quality player. He got man of the match for his performance at left-back against Manchester City, and rightly so.

"He played a very good game out of position. It is important that we have got versatile players who can play across the back four."