• Midfielder’s future remains a mystery as Villa hold talks
• England international will feature in Guadiana Cup

James Milner has been included in Aston Villa’s pre-season plans, although his future at the club is still clouded in mystery.

The England midfielder returned to training today having been given an extended holiday following the World Cup. The midfielder held talks with the manager, Martin O’Neill, at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, as Manchester City line up an improved £24m bid.

A club statement read: “James Milner trained with the rest of the Villa squad today at Bodymoor Heath. He and the manager, along with chief executive Paul Faulkner and the player’s representative, Matthew Buck, had an amicable conversation and, while James will not play in tomorrow’s game at Walsall, he will fly with the squad to Portugal on Wednesday ahead of the Guadiana Cup in which Villa will compete with Benfica and Feyenoord this weekend.”

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• Only James Milner certain to make World Cup squad
• Second City derby key for Champions League aspirations

Aston Villa host Birmingham with Champions League hopes and World Cup dreams on the line. Martin O’Neill’s side need a third victory in seven days to maintain their pursuit of fourth place with two weeks of the Premier League season remaining, but for a number of the Villa players time is fast running out to make an impression on Fabio Capello.

Six of them have been named in Capello’s squads this season yet of that group only James Milner can be sure of his seat on the plane to South Africa. For Emile Heskey, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and Stephen Warnock judgement day looms and O’Neill’s admission that he “would have a different opinion to the England manager” suggests he fears a number of them could be left disappointed.

“[Capello] has seen enough now to make up his mind,” said O’Neill. “He will have seen enough from Milner to know that he will be an asset. I wouldn’t know what his recent view of Young is, but I think he has been terrific. Wayne Rooney is an absolute certainty – they are building the team around him if anything. We’ve got Gabby and Emile. Emile probably has a head start in that he has done things in the Capello reign that will stand him in good stead. And Stephen Warnock has had a great season for us, done exceptionally well.”

After Milner, Heskey would appear to be the next in line, although that would only be on the basis of his performances for England during the qualification campaign rather than anything he has done in a Villa shirt this season. The former Birmingham striker has been unable to hold down a regular starting place and a return of five goals from 39 appearances has once again placed his scoring record under the microscope.

“I’ll be saying this when he is 55, that he can score more goals,” said O’Neill. “He has been an unselfish player for so long that sometimes it is difficult to take on that other mantle. But Capello is an excellent judge.”

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