John Carew is backing Aston Villa teammate Gabby Agbonlahor for a big season next term.

"Gabby was fantastic last year," Carew told the Birmingham Mail.

"He was one of the top scorers in the league. During the season a player of his age will have ups and downs.

"He will be a fantastic player and I think he had a good season again. He's been doing it since I got here and I think next year he will be even better."

Despite his indifferent form in the latter stages, Agbonlahor still earned a nomination for the PFA Young Player of The Year award, which was won by team-mate Ashley Young, and 29-year-old Carew thinks there is more to come.

"He will continue to score goals. You can score a lot of goals in a short period and then it can suddenly stop for a few games," he added.

"That's part of it. You just have to keep your confidence up. You have to do the same because if it's worked before it will work again."