Stiliyan Petrov last night hailed Gareth Barry after the England man ignored ongoing speculation about his future to produce an inspirational UEFA Cup performance in Iceland.

Barry's inclusion in the starting line-up against FH Hafnarfjordur was a big enough story but within seven minutes he had scored one goal and created another for good measure.

Petrov played alongside Barry in central midfield and speaking to AVTV Online he told www.avfc.co.uk: "It was great to have Gareth in the side.

"With all that has been going on, his attitude has been great. You could see that last night. He was working hard as part of the team and he didn't let anyone down.

"It's good to have Gareth on the team and my point of view is that he's a great player. If he stays here we will welcome him big-time. If he goes away we will miss him big-time because he's a big player and when you have a player like that you try to keep him as long as you can.

"He's a very good professional and he showed that. It doesn't matter what people write about him - is he going to go or stay - he is motivated. After all these years at Aston Villa he still loves the club and that's good news."