In-form Ashley Young has heaped praise on his Aston Villa teammates for showing determination and mental strength.

Villa are poised to launch an attack on the 'big four'; Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal, as they sit fifth on the Premier League table and Young believes the side can mix it with the best.

"We have confidence, strength and a strong mentality. We have our aims and we are getting there," Young said.

Young was also impressed with the efforts of the team in the 3-2 thriller against Everton last weekend, a game in which he scored twice.

"Even when Everton equalised earlier in injury-time, we didn't give up. We keep going right to the end, and it paid off."