Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner enjoyed his test against Manchester City.

He came up against Manchester City's former Villa star Gareth Barry last weekend and reckons facing such stars will improve his game.

"I trained with Gareth Barry when he was at Villa," Gardner told the Birmingham Mail.

"He was different class. I still look up to him now. Players like Gareth are world class. They have umpteen appearances for their club and country. To play against him was difficult but I have learnt a lot from it. I have already watched the game four or five times since and it's good to see what I did.

"It was a great experience to come up against the cream of the Premier League like Gareth Barry. If you want to make your mark and make an impression in this division, these are the guys you have to come up against."