Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has confirmed that Emile Heskey will be absent for "a few weeks" with a hamstring problem.

The former England international sustained the injury during Villa's 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon, lasting just 19 minutes before being forced to hobble off the pitch.

"He’s got a nick in his hamstring and that’s not an overnight job, so it will be a few weeks, I don’t know how many," McLeish told reporters.

"The challenge is for players who might come in just to say, 'Well I’m going to make it hard for Emile to get back into the team'."

McLeish also revealed that Jermaine Jenas could be fit to make his Villa debut in next week's League Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers.