Luke Moore was a prolific goalscorer for Villa's Academy and reserve teams and, alongside brother Stefan, was a part of the FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2002.

He followed his sibling into the first team reckoning at Villa Park and scored his first Barclays Premiership goal in the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in March 2005.

LAST SEASON

It was a season of sheer frustration for Luke Moore, who suffered a serious shoulder injury at the end of September and didn't return to first team duty until March.

The young striker had been troubled by his shoulder for some time but had played through the pain barrier until the match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where he fell awkwardly and effectively put his season on hold.

He flew to America for treatment from the Cleveland Browns medical team, but Villa were denied the services of a player who had scored twice in the first eight games.

Moore had made his big breakthrough in 2005-06, scoring eight goals in 32 appearances, which made his extended spell of inactivity all the more annoying.

On his return to action, he had to settle for walk-on parts but it speaks volumes for his predatory instincts that he still scored twice in half-a-dozen late season substitute appearances.