Remi Garde hails the'warrior spirit' of Villa's Jores Okore

Remi Garde has hailed the 'warrior spirit' of returning defender Jores Okore as the perfect addition to Villa's scrap for Premier League survival.

The Villa boss said he was immediately impressed by Okore's tenacity in training after the 23-year-old returned from knee surgery which has kept him out of the side since the summer.

Denmark international Okore was back in the starting line-up for Saturday's draw at Southampton following a suspension for Ciaran Clark and skipper Micah Richards being ruled out by injury. And Garde said he had been impressed by the attitude shown by Okore. "Jores gives the spirit you want – like a warrior," enthused the Villa boss. "It was not easy for him since the Cup Final because he's had some problems with his knees. It's never easy. But I discovered Jores as a competitor as soon as I came to the training ground. He did very well in the last game."

Garde said he is in the enviable position of at last having serious competition for places in the middle of the defence, with Richards, Joleon Lescott and Clark all likely to be available to face Arsenal.