Tim Sherwood has urged his more creative players at Aston Villa to quickly get used to the physical nature of the Premier League.

The likes of Jordan Ayew and Adama Traore arived at Villa Park from France and Spain respectively this summer and according to Sherwood, need to adapt to English football, which is renowned as a much more demanding competition from a physical standpoint.

"You can't cry about it," Sherwood told the Birmingham Mail. "The boys certainly can't anyway.

"I can maybe cry about it and get them a bit more protection but the refs need to keep an eye out for that. We're not the only club with flair players around the Premier League. Sometimes the only way to stop them is to do it outside the laws of the game.

"Certainly when they're coming in from different leagues, this is the most physical league in the world so I think they need to get used to that body contact."

Villa, who occupy 12th position on the Premier League table, meet third-placed Leicester City at King Power Stadium on Sunday when domestic football returns this weekend following the international break.