Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry is delighted with the club's capture of former West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker.

"He's a strong player on the pitch and a strong character off it. His strength in midfield shines through. He's a strong lad," Barry told Villa's website.

"You see him pick up the ball in the middle and all of a sudden, he's driving forward with the ball at his feet. That's his game and hopefully we'll learn more about it in the next few weeks.

"But he's also pretty quick for a central midfielder and his driving runs forward with the ball are probably something we've missed over the last few years."

Barry says Villa's current squad already realise that expectation is weighing heavy on their shoulders as they approach the new season.

He added: "You want to be challenging for the European spots and winning the majority of your games, especially at home, where you've got to be winning if you're going to have a good season.

"The expectation for us will be to challenge for Europe, but the players realise that and those new signings coming in will help us try to achieve that."