Jores Okore has admitted that he is "really happy" to be seeing regular action with Aston Villa after a spell out with injury last season.
The defender missed the majority of the 2013-14 campaign with a knee ligament injury, allowing others to establish themselves ahead of him in the pecking order at Villa Park, but injuries to his teammates this season have let him reclaim a place in the side.
The 22-year-old told the Birmingham Mail: "I'm really happy at the moment to be back on the teamsheet. Just to be playing again is really nice.
"It was very hard last season especially coming to a new country and a new place. You really want to come in and make a difference but I wasn't able to do that.
"Now I'm getting there. I'm taking it step by step. I feel more comfortable here now than last year. It has been a long transition because I haven't been a part of the team."
Okore is expected to make his fourth straight start when the team face Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Sian Cowper
