His team might be slipping into the relegation mire, but Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish found time to hand out a piece of good news to Irish fans.

As we get closer and closer to Euro 2012 us Irish fans have little to worry about (touch wood). The James McClean debate is diverting, as are the fitness concerns over Keith Fahey and the form of Aiden McGeady but really things are shaping up pretty well.

The only real blot on the horizon is the continued absence of Richard Dunne from the field of play. A quick glance at the Premier League table tells you how important he is to Aston Villa, as they have slid deeper and deeper into trouble the longer the Dubliner sits out with a collarbone injury.

But today, Alex McLeish, in an attempt to soothe the increasingly unhappy Villa support, slipped out some news that will gladden the hearts of Irish fans too.

McLeish’s side face Sunderland on Saturday and a win is imperative to drag the Birmingham side away from trouble. The Scot hopes to welcome back a host of injured players, including Ciaran Clark, but it was his positive news on Dunne that we leapt on.

“I don't think he's too far away from joining the group," was how McLeish put Dunne’s recovery from a broken collarbone.

Ideally Dunne would play a game or two for his club before sharpening up fully in the pre-Euro friendlies, hitting Poland in tip-top shape. While McLeish’s prognosis isn’t exactly very detailed, as desperate Irish fans we have chosen to look at it positively as Dunne’s absence from this summer’s tournament is too grim to contemplate. After his heroics in Moscow, no Irish player deserves to travel more than Dunne.

Probably the only person more desperate than the average Irish fan to see Dunne togging out again is McLeish so fully expect to see him back in action soon. The sooner the better please Alex.