Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has likened Gabby Agbonlahor to Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.

O'Neill said: "The truth is I have never really been able to afford to rest Gabby, he's that important.

"He has a willingness to keep improving, to keep adapting, to keep fighting for a place in a squad that's getting stronger, and all of these things constitute a proper footballer.

"If you ask Sir Alex Ferguson to talk about Rooney he'll tell you about his great appetite to want to win matches, to want to win five-a-side matches, to go out and play the game as if he's in the back streets like an 11-year-old.

"That comes through in Rooney's play. You can see it. He's chasing back, not just when he's lost the ball but when his team-mates have lost it. When you point out a few of those things to Gabby he takes them on board.

"There was an incident last week in our match at Blackburn where with 17 minutes left - and don't forget Gabby had scored the goal - and he's entitled to think he wants to conserve his energy to get another one.

"The ball broke down on the edge of their box and he's run over 40 yards to chase the left-back down and stop them breaking.

"Having seen that Rooney does those things, he wants to do the same. Not only do I appreciate it but the players do."