EMILE Heskey could be out injured for more than a fortnight – but there is better news about Villa new boy Jermaine Jenas’ fitness.

Heskey hobbled off with a hamstring problem just 19 minutes into Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.

The experienced striker is likely to be sidelined for at least a “few weeks”, according to Villa boss Alex McLeish.

Jenas is also set to miss Saturday’s match against his former club Newcastle with a training ground injury which ruled him out of the Everton match.

But the Tottenham loanee has been pencilled in for a claret and blue debut in the Carling Cup third-round tie against Bolton next Tuesday.

On Heskey, McLeish said: “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.

“We could ill afford to lose vital members from the squad but it’s a challenge for somebody else.

“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’.

“It’s incredible, he’s been playing all the games right to the wire and looked really strong and then you have a two-week break you think ‘That’s great, the players will be able to ease the muscles and relax’.

"We worked hard during that break, we weren’t off for two weeks, but they got some respite.