O'Leary hails striking duo
Aston Villa boss David O'Leary has hailed Middlesbrough's striking duo.
Aston Villa boss David O'Leary has hailed Middlesbrough's striking duo Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka ahead of his side's trip to The Riverside.O'Leary has worked with both players during a previous spell at the helm of Leeds and is a big fan of Boro's popular front two.
The Villa chief helped prise Hasselbaink from his Portuguese paymasters, Boavista, for just £1.5 million and then made a massive profit in a subsequent sale to Atletico Madrid.
''We managed to get him (Hasselbaink) for a million and a half pounds and then sadly I had an offer of £12 million up front and sold him,'' said O'Leary.
''I was able to use that to buy three players but look what Jimmy has done.
''Everywhere he has gone, he has scored goals.''
O'Leary was equally generous in his appraisal of Viduka, who he brought to Leeds from Celtic.
''He is a quality striker. Now, with the great chairman Middlesbrough have they have been able to meet the demands of those two players,'' continued O'Leary.
''Jimmy and Mark are wonderful lads, good professionals, who want things to be done right.
''They are as good a partnership as you could get.''
