Towering Dane Martin Laursen was somewhat a mythical figure at Villa Park, until now. Every Villa fan knows just how good the commanding centre back is.
Laursen has been rock solid at the middle of Villa's back line this season and has formed a great partnership with Zat Knight . Together they are the perfect combination of speed and fore-sight.
Captain Gareth Barry, who himself never seems to have a bad game, told www.avfc.co.uk that he believes Laursen is like a fresh addition to the ranks. He beamed:
"Martin's re-emergence into the first team has been fantastic for us.
"He's been out for so long that it felt like a new signing at the start of the season. Everyone knew how good he was by the games he has played for us, but because of the injury that hasn't been as many as he would have liked.
"Let's hope he can stay clear of injury all season because he's been a massive plus for us."
Laursen has been brilliant i this campaign for the Claret and Blue, putting in a number of heroic performances. It was no different last weekend, as although Villa lost 2-1 to Arsenal, Laursen was an important part of the home team's dominance in the second half.
He helped build from the back and snuffed out any Gunners attacks resulting in the table-toppers failing to even have a shot after the break.
Laursen has been a contender for player of the season so far let's just hope the injury curse stays away.