Lambert: Aston Villa’s Agbonlahor and Bent out for a couple of weeks

Paul Lambert has moved to allay fears over the fitness of Aston Villa duo Gabriel Agbonlahor and Darren Bent ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

Agbonlahor was substituted after he scored the winner in Villa’s pre-season victory over Chicago Fire, with the 25-year-old suffering from a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Bent did not feature in the match due to a thigh strain as the England international looks to gain vital fitness after he missed the end of the season.

The former Sunderland striker ruptured ligaments in his ankle during Villa’s goalless draw with Wigan Athletic in February which resulted in Bent missing out on a place in Roy Hodgson’s 23-man England squad for Euro 2012.

Former Norwich City boss Lambert, who replaced Alex McLeish as Villa manager in June, is expecting the pair to be out for a couple of weeks but hopes they will be back in time for their first Premier League game against newly-promoted West Ham United on 18 August.

“I think Gabby will be a couple of weeks to be honest,” said Lambert in the Birmingham Mail.

“It’s his knee and I think he just turned awkwardly and I think that’s what’s happened, but hopefully he’ll be okay.”

On Bent, he added: “He’s got a little strain, Darren, and that will be a couple of weeks as well, so it’s nothing major.

“That’s football. It’s a contact sport. Sometimes you go into the most stupidest of challenges and you don’t get hurt, and then went nobody’s near you that can happen.”