​Aston Villa manager Remi Garde has warned defender Tiago Ilori that he will not feature for the first team until he proves his fitness levels are sufficient enough.





The Portuguese youngster, on loan from Liverpool, has yet to play in the Premier League for either team so far, and Garde told ​the Daily Express that Ilori has more work to do.





Ilori has a history of persistent injuries, and must overcome this if he is to realise his potential and possibly kickstart his career for Villa.





“Regarding Tiago, he’s also a player whose struggled a lot with light injuries,” said Garde. “He didn’t have a full week’s training session for the moment.





“He was on the bench on the previous but he needs to improve his fitness to be a serious contender for the first team.









While Garde doesn't believe Ilori is far behind in his bid for full fitness, he has encouraged him to keep going. Aston Villa currently have the worst defence in the Premier League and a new face in their back line would surely be welcome, but the Villa boss wants to ensure he can count one someone who is at 100%





“I wouldn’t say he’s far away but at the moment I’m happy at the way he’s coming back to his full fitness. He probably he needs to do a little bit more.”





Villa face Arsenal at home on Sunday, bidding for just their second win of the campaign. They currently have the lowest points total at this stage of the season in Premier League history; worse than Derby County who ended up being relegated with an all-time low of just 11 points.







