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Paul Lambert will wait until Charles N'Zogbia returns to full fitness before making a decision on his Aston Villa future.

The Villa boss says he is keeping an 'open mind' when it comes to the French winger - who remains sidelined with an Achilles complaint.

N'Zogbia is yet to take in a competitive outing for Villa this season, having sustained the unfortunate injury while training over the summer.

He is expected to be back in the New Year, but doubts linger over his involvement in the second half of the season.

It has been suggested that, as one of the club's high earners and having been stripped of the number 10 jersey for 2013/14, N'Zogbia does not figure in Lambert's long-term plans.

The Scot has, however, told the Birmingham Mail that no call has been made as yet, saying: "I always have an open mind. We'll see what happens in January but we need to get his injury cleared up first.

"I think an Achilles heel is a bad injury. When you get that, sometimes you're better off just breaking your leg because you can come back quicker than an Achilles heel. It's just a horrible injury to get, so we just have to see.

"He's still a way off. It's still a bit of a long-term one. I wouldn't have thought the whole season, but it will still be long-term.

"We need every player to be fit. I think, first and foremost, Charles has got to get back fit and then we'll see what happens from there. I think it's unfair pressure to put on him.

"It's going to take its time to heal. I just have to wait and let the medics here treat him the way they think is right and see where he goes."

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