Stewart Downing

Gifted left-sided star Stewart Downing joined Villa from Middlesbrough in July 2009 - and had an impressive debut campaign in claret and blue.

Martin O'Neill signed Downing for £12m, despite the winger suffering with an ankle injury which forced him to sit out the opening months of the campaign.

But the Villa boss knew it would be money well spent and so it proved as Downing dazzled in the second half of the season.

He made his debut as a late substitute for Steve Sidwell in the away top-flight clash with Burnley and scored his first goal in the Carling Cup clash with Portsmouth.

Downing's return to action saw him take up his preferred left wing role, with James Milner moving to central midfield.

The popular star played in Villa's first win at Old Trafford against Manchester United for 27 years and went on to score his first and second league goal for the club in their 5-2 win against Burnley late in the season.

He earned the move to Villa after making a huge impression on The Riverside.

He made his long-awaited debut in the 1-0 Premier League defeat at Ipswich in April 2002 and almost crowned a man-of-the-match display with a late equaliser. Three days later he was handed his Riverside debut - replacing Benito Carbone at half-time in a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea.

His first-team chances at Middlesbrough were limited originally due to the form of Bolo Zenden in the left midfield slot. But his career began to take-off when he was recalled from his loan at Sunderland during an injury crisis.

The 2004-05 season saw Downing make 49 appearances, scoring six goals, as well as providing numerous assists.

His performances saw him called up to Sven Goran Eriksson's England squad in February 2005 for a friendly against the Netherlands.

His performances were not going unnoticed on the continent either. After one memorable performance - against Lazio in the 2005 UEFA Cup - legendary Portuguese defender Fernando Couto described Downing as a "sensational find".

He also produced a stunning performance in Boro's amazing Mission Impossible II comeback against Steaua Bucharest at the Riverside as he was involved in all four goals in a masterclass of wing play.

That display helped him earn an England recall for the 2006 World Cup in Germany where he made two appearances as a substitute.

The 2006-07 season saw Stewart make a further nine appearances for the national team.

No Boro player made more appearances in the 2008-09 season than Stewart but a foot injury suffered in the final home game, ironically against Villa, prematurely ended his Premier League campaign.

Little did he know, he would end up signing for the claret and blues some months later.