Isaiah Osbourne made his Villa debut in the 1-1 Barclays Premiership draw with Fulham in October 2006 after impressing boss Martin O'Neill in training.

Tall, comfortable on the ball and an excellent passer, Osbourne has been compared to former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira, who is his role model. The former England under-16 international made his name as one of the stars of a strong Villa reserve outfit.

LAST SEASON

Isaiah Osbourne became the latest Academy graduate to break into Villa's first team when he made his debut last October.

The Birmingham-born midfielder turned up for the home match against Fulham expecting to be no more than a spectator. But he was told he was one of the substitutes - and had his first taste of senior football when he replaced Steven Davis seven minutes from time.

It was no more than a cameo appearance but he did well enough to earn a place in the starting line-up for the Carling Cup-tie against Leicester City at the Walkers Stadium a few days later.

Tall, strong and powerful, Osbourne was subsequently involved with Martin O'Neill's squad until the back-to-back defeats at Manchester United in January

He then produced some impressive displays for the second team, displaying his versatility by switching effortlessly to central defence when the need arose. Unfortunately, a groin problem brought his season to a premature end in March.