Aston Villa No2 Peter Grant has told their English whizkid Gary Gardner his chance will come.

Grant believes Gardner, the younger brother of former Villa midfielder Craig, has a bright future at the club.

"We feel he'll have a big part to play for us soon, absolutely no doubt about that," said Grant.

"He's a talented boy. Going through this period in December and from Christmas onwards we feel he's got the talent to be part of things.

"We're concerned about the long-term. We don't just see it as a short-term thing with Gary, we're wanting to make sure he is right for the future.

"We've got to do it right for the boy. He maybe feels it's not right for him because he's anxious to make an impact for the first team.

"You can understand that to an extent, but he's got to be patient.

"His performances with the reserves have been excellent, he's a fantastic professional and he will get a chance because his talent will dictate that and we're all looking forward to working with him."