Nathan Delfouneso

Nathan Delfouneso's impact at Villa is best illustrated by his earning of the Supporters and Players Young Player of the Year two seasons running.

After initially earning the honours two seasons ago, Delfouneso did the double after a terrific 2009-10 term, where he impressed for both the first team and the reserves.

He proved to be a lucky omen in the FA Cup, bagging goals in both the third round and fourth round victories, over Blackburn and Brighton respectively.

And, despite not starting a first team game, he still managed a goal - and what an important one it was.

With Villa chasing fourth spot in the Barclays Premier League, Martin O'Neill's men desperately needed a win over relegated Portsmouth.

Despite conceding early via a Michael Brown strike, Villa came storming back with Delfouneso bagging the winner with a neat finish following Emile Heskey's flick.

In reserve action, the star striker scored eight goals - 10 including the brace in the play-off final against Manchester United at OId Trafford.

He also scored on his England under-21 debut at the Keepmoat Stadium in a season of real promise.

But anyone wanting an indication of Delfouneso's immense potential need look no further than an article which appeared in the French football magazine Onze two seasons ago.

It compared Villa's young striker with Thierry Henry - and not just because they both happened to wear the number 14 shirt.

The feature referred to Delfouneso's style, speed and technique, making the point that he has so much in common with the world-class French star.

The Birmingham-born youngster clearly has a great future. Villa's Academy has produced a string of prolific strikers in recent years, and Nathan Delfouneso looks set to follow in the footsteps of Darius Vassell, Luke Moore and Gabby Agbonlahor by transferring his scoring talents to the Premier League stage.