Aston Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald has defended club captain Gabby Agbonlahor.

Agbonlahor has struggled with injuries and a loss of form this term but has also had bright spells in games that have helped the team.

“Gabby's season has been very stop-start," said MacDonald.

“He's been picking up niggles – and then the injury that's kept him out for the past few weeks until he got back in.

“Gabby is a player this club will need for the rest of the season to start really bringing up big performances.

“Gabby at Leicester was probably the focal point for us to start going two-up because I thought he was fantastic, running beyond defenders and pushing them further back which allowed Gilly (Carles Gil) and Jack (Grealish) to get on the ball and start to cause them problems.

“Gabby has a big responsibility. He knows that. He is club captain. He's been at the club all his life. This will be hurting Gabby probably more than most because he will not want to be at a football club as big as Aston Villa and get relegated."