Former Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore has urged Gabby Agbonlahor to resist interest from Arsenal and Manchester United and learn his trade under manager Martin O'Neill.

"If I was Gabby, I'd stay put and wouldn't be lured by the odd little newspaper story that links him with Arsenal or Man United," he told the Birmingham Mail. "I'd like to see him getting his goals under his belt at Villa, and then get his caps under his belt and see where it goes from there.

"He's got outrageous pace and his goalscoring record is decent.

"I'd still like to see him getting in around the box and developing his game, a la Michael Owen with his finishing.

"Pace gets you away from somebody, but you then need the coolness of Adebayor, van Nistelrooy or Ronaldo.

"That's where he needs to take the next step. Martin will take him aside and get him to look at the game. But he's in a fantastic position at 21."