They have been acquainted for barely six months but Moustapha Salifou readily admits that Holte Enders send a shiver down his spine.

The 24-year-old Togo international is simply overwhelmed by the reception he has received on his fleeting first team appearances for Villa or when he warms up on the touchline in his more familiar role as a substitute.

Most Villa supporters were only vaguely aware of Salifou when manager Martin O'Neill signed him from Swiss club Wil 1900 last August, and many were wondering if they would ever get to see him when his arrival was delayed by work permit problems.

If he was largely unknown when he signed, though, he has now achieved cult status among the claret and blue faithful, who serenade him with "Sali, Sali-fou" to the tune of the Boney M song Daddy Cool.

"It gives me shivers when I hear the crowd singing my name," he says. "It's like a dream for me. If I had been told that supporters would sing my name when I went on or was warming up, I would never have believed it.

"I've never experienced anything like that. If I played well for my other clubs, supporters would shout my name, but they never sang to me!

"I knew the song Daddy Cool, so to hear it adapted to fit my name gives me a lot of pleasure. It's an incredible feeling."

His reaction is typical of a young man who is modest in the extreme. He is approaching 40 appearances for his country, including three at the 2006 World Cup finals but unassumingly insists that is only because Togo has so few professional footballers.

Salifou's brief but impressive appearances for Villa suggest a different story and, understandably, he would like more of the same. He hopes the fans will see him more regularly next season following a contract extension which ensures him a further 12 months at Villa Park.

So far, his exposure to the Barclays Premier League has been limited, although he has no qualms on that score.

"I feel happy with the way things have gone, although I would obviously like more chances to play," he says. "It's disappointing that I haven't played more but if you look at the squad there are some very good midfielders here.

"People like Gareth Barry and Nigel Reo-Coker have played well all season, so it's obviously difficult for the manager to change things.

I accept that I have to be patient."

"But I need to play more next season if I want to earn another contract. My aim is to make an impression and stay here even longer.

"I feel I have the ability and I will be physically ready because I will be able to prepare properly in pre-season.

"I wasn't able to do that this season. The other players started without me and then I had to wait until October before my work permit was issued.

"It was also a big jump from the second division in Switzerland to the English Premier League. It's completely different here. The game is more physical, it's much quicker and you have to do much more running.

"As a midfielder, you have to keep going up and down the pitch. You never stop running but I've got used to that now."

And what about the first team action he has seen so far?He admits to being a touch miffed that Villa should have conceded a stoppage time goal just after his introduction against Reading in January, while the team were two-down to Portsmouth when he went on 11 minutes from time at Fratton Park.

But Manchester United? That was something else.

"I never imagined I would play at Old Trafford," he reveals. "After the game, lots of my friends from Africa called to say they had seen the game on television. They said how proud they were that I had played - and told me to keep playing the way I had. That was very encouraging.

"It's given me a taste for playing in big arenas. In Africa, all the English games are screened and I want people to see my playing for Aston Villa. It gives me a great deal of pride and I want to share that with my family and friends."

Salifou's circle of friends is widening, too. While the language barrier can sometimes be an obstacle (this interview was conducted in French, with Players' Welfare Officer Lorna McClelland translating) he has been made more than welcome by his team-mates.

"I get on well with the other players," he adds. "I enjoy a laugh with Marlon Harewood, and Stiliyan Petrov. Stan is learning French in his spare time at the moment, with the specific purpose of making French-speaking players feel more at home. I really appreciate that."