Paul Lambert says he tried to sign Dusan Tadic for Aston Villa

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert says he tried to sign impressive Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic back in January 2013.

Villa and Southampton clash at Villa Park in this week’s Monday Night Football encounter, with Southampton sitting second in the table after a very impressive start to the season.

And Serbian midfielder Tadic has been a key factor in Southampton’s rise, having been signed from FC Twente for a reported £10.9m in the summer.

Lambert said: “We tried to get Tadic here, the January before last.

"We tried to do something but couldn't do it. That's the way it goes, because he's a good player.

“So, we've known about his talents for a while now, but there were loads of factors which just meant we couldn't get it done.

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"It was January 2013, he was at FC Twente, and they were looking for a right few quid."

Lambert will also come up against Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster on Monday, a man who played a key role for the manager at one of his previous clubs.

“I had him at Norwich (on loan) in League One,” said Lambert. “We tried to re-sign him permanently but we couldn't do it at that time.

"He was pivotal to Norwich going up. He made saves that I thought a goalkeeper couldn't make at certain times.

“He's a great big guy, top class, but we couldn't do it at the time. He was one of the main players for Norwich getting up, he's a top guy."

Forster has conceded just five league goals this season but Lambert is hopeful Villa can build on their 0-0 draw at West Ham prior to the international break.

"Southampton have started the season really well,” he said. “Although I'm pretty sure their bigger tests will come when they play the big ones.

"You can't take anything away from them, they've started the season well. But, if we do what we've been doing in the last two games, we will certainly give them a game, that's for sure."