Aston Villa caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald has dismissed speculation that Emile Heskey will return to his former club Leicester City (12/1 Aston Villa – Premier League Top-4).

The Foxes have been linked with their old academy player since manager Paulo Sousa was given a reported £10m to spend on new signings.

However, MacDonald has rejected claims that the former Liverpool striker will be leaving Villa Park before the end of the transfer window.

He said: “I worked with Emile as a young boy at Leicester and I’ve got a lot of time for him.

“I’ve not had any talks with Leicester.

“I live quite close to Leicester so I know quite a few of the people there and there has been nothing at all.”

Heskey retired from international duty following England’s disappointing World Cup in South Africa this summer as he wished to concentrate on his club football with Villa.

However, the 32-year-old could be tempted to take a step down to the Championship if he does not get regular football with Villa this season (16/1 Aston Villa – FA Cup outright).