England U21 boss Stuart Pearce is convinced Aston Villa's £12 million winger James Milner is destined for big things.

Pearce declared: "For Milner to go to Villa was a great move for him. Milner's the sort who will roll his sleeves up, keep his mouth shut and fight for his place. That is the nature of James Milner.

"What he has done at Under-21 level will speed up his chances of representing the seniors.

"He gets my recommendation, there's no doubt about that. He just needs to nail down a place in the Villa team. But as kids go, you are buying the crown jewels, he's such a strong character. He's the sort of kid you want to work with day in, day out.

"He hasn't walked through the door and started, but that's the strength of the team at the moment.

"He has to make sure he keeps on improving, but one thing we do know is that he plays the game and regularly gives you seven out of 10.

"Players like that are worth their weight in gold."