Former Aston Villa defender Steve Staunton says the club's youngsters are the envy of the Premiership.

He said: "I'll tell you what, there are a lot of clubs very envious of the young players coming through at Villa. And I'd rather have that because you can always buy older ones.

Ashley Young, for instance, looked absolutely dazzling at times last season and what age is he - just 24?

"Then there are people like Gabby Agbonlahor and James Milner, who are younger still but have already got solid Premier League experience.

"Look at what they've just done, winning a pre-season tournament against the likes of Porto and Juventus with a lot of youth team players in the squad.

"That tells you that those players can cope with the game at the top level if they are given the time to progress.

"I hear all the time when I'm out and about that Villa fans are worried. Listen, every club goes into every season worried. Expectations get higher and blah, blah, blah. "I think Villa have made things tougher for themselves in terms of expectation because they have actually over-achieved in the last two years.

"And if Villa fans are honest, they will know that, too. But I still think that if Martin can sustain what he has done then the future's amazing."