Martin Laursen is a typical Scandinavian - cool, calm and composed!

He joined Villa from AC Milan in a £3million deal soon after the end of the 2003-04 term. The accomplished defender started out at Silkeborg before moving to Hellas Verona and then on to the 2003 and 2007 Champions League winners.

Last Season

He may have been beset by injuries since his arrival in 2004, but Martin Laursen made massive strides in the right direction last season.

On the face of it, his 15 first team appearances may not seem particularly impressive, but he more than doubled his number of games over his first two injured-plagued campaigns.

The Danish international's frustrations continued when he suffered knee ligament damage in the Carling Cup defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October and was sidelined for four months.

But at least it wasn't the knee which had previously caused him so much grief and he returned to action with some commanding displays alongside Olof Mellberg at the heart of the defence.

Villa, in fact, didn't suffer a single league defeat when he was in the side, which underlined the value of a fully-fit Martin Laursen.

"The way we play here in England really suits my game. I could see straight away that I'd come to the right place."