Aston Villa winger James Milner is full of praise for Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate.

Milner told Villa's website of his former Leeds United teammate: "Jon is awesome. I played with him at Leeds and Newcastle. I even used to watch him when I was a young lad watching the Leeds youth team with my mum and dad.

"He was fantastic back then and he has improved as a player. He is as good as anyone I have ever played with.

"He has been dreadfully unlucky with injuries and that has held him back with both his domestic career and with his time with England. I don't think people realise how good he is because of that. But you can't be a bad player if Real Madrid come calling.

"To go with his talent on the pitch, he is a great lad to have in the dressing room too. He is bubbly and always in the thick of the jokes and the banter.

"He reads the game brilliantly but if he does get caught out, his pace is exceptional too. Those are two brilliant attributes.

"What comes across is that he never seems like he is exerting himself.

"It promises to be a good game. They have solid players at the back, like Jon, and we have pace and quality going forward."