Villa track down Forrester

The starlet has signed a three-year contract at Villa Park though academy director Bryan Jones says the search for good talent goes on. The 16-year-old Austrian pair Andreas Weinann and left-winger Dominic Hoffbaur have also joined the club this summer, from Rapid Vienna and Sturm Graz, respectively and Jones said: "We think very highly of them. They are both youth internationals. But the search goes on. If any good players are out there we aim to find them. It is non-stop."

Attacking midfielder Forrester, meanwhile, has spent the last five years with Watford, where he had turned down a two-year scholarship so Villa will have to pay compensation. "I first saw him playing for England when I had gone to watch one of our own players," said Jones. "A week ago we learned he had turned Watford down and we were given permission to speak terms. He liked what he saw here and agreed a deal. But, as always, there is such a long way to go with a player of this age."

Villa's recent triumph in Hong Kong underlined Villa's growing pool of talent as the youngest team in a competition that included Spurs and PSV claimed the title with winger Zoltan Stieber voted player of the tournament.