Carlos Cuellar is convinced he's made the right move leaving Rangers for Aston Villa.

"Coming to England is the best thing that can happen to you," he told The Times. "This is the strongest league in the world, but also one where a player feels respected. In Pamplona, people would stop me in the streets to tell me off or demand things of me. Here, they support you whether you're winning or losing. That is a new feeling, not very common in Spain."

Any doubts disappeared when he met Martin O'Neill, the Villa manager.

"He kept telling me what an honour it was to have me in the side," Cuellar said. "I was so surprised and kept repeating, 'No, Mr O'Neill, in fact the honour is mine.' "