O'Neill hails Laursen 'inspiration'

Laursen: On form

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Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill believes the 'inspiration' and 'hope' offered by Martin Laursen cannot be valued in money.

The former AC Milan centre-back has proved a major success at Villa Park since overcoming a career-threatening knee injury in the early days of his career in England.

Villa were expected to miss the presence of Olof Mellberg, who joined Juventus in the summer, as they attempt to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season.

However, Laursen's form has meant that the loss of his former defensive partner has not been felt and O'Neill has compared the Denmark international to Chelsea and England captain John Terry.

"What he (Laursen) is worth to us, I don't think you could measure it in terms of money. He has been fantastic and he is there for us every single week," O'Neill told the Birmingham Mail.

"He has many similar attributes to John Terry. He is a centre-half who likes to come and head it. But we kind of expect that of him now.

"That is a really big part of his game. But he gives us a lot of inspiration and a lot of hope because when it goes into the penalty area, defensively, there is a chance that he will be pretty close to it.

"Now, like everything else he can't get to everything. But he is a leader in that aspect and that is very encouraging."