Aston Villa winger Ashley Young is convinced a long UEFA Cup run will boost his personal game.

Young told Villa's website: "Playing in Europe can only help us develop as a team and from a personal point of view it can help me develop as a player.

"I came to Aston Villa because I wanted to test myself at a higher level and the next stage is to play regularly in Europe. We don't want to get this close and then miss out.

"I said at the end of last season that I hit a lot of my personal targets and now I have to set new targets for this season.

"I'll keep them to myself again but obviously playing for Villa in Europe is one of the first aims. That should help me stay in the England manager's plans. You have to be ambitious.

"One or two of the lads have played in Europe before - players like John Carew and Stiliyan Petrov. It helped them develop as players. Hopefully it will be the same for the rest of us if we can get a run."