Stewart Downing Can Be 'Very Special' For Aston Villa - Stiliyan Petrov

Stiliyan Petrov believes that Stewart Downing can become a key man for Aston Villa as they seek to make good on their recent rise with silverware this season.

The England wide-man moved from Middlesbrough last summer but only recently made his debut for the Birmingham-based outfit, having suffered a broken metatarsal toward the end of the 2008-09 campaign.

It was Petrov's challenge that felled that the 25-year-old, and the Villa captain is relieved to see Downing back in action.

“I am really happy to see him fit, because this boy loves to play football and he can help all of us in the team,” the Bulgarian midfielder said in The Mirror.

“When you see someone who loves to play the game and he is unable to do it because of injury that is not pleasant.

“It is even harder when you know that you were involved in that injury, but now he is raring to go.

“I can’t wait to see him in action because I think he is going to be a very special player for us.

“He is going to be very special to our team and he has come back at a great time for us because we want to win something this season.”

The Villans have emerged as a potential threat to the Premier League's so-called 'big four' since Martin O'Neill took the reins in 2006, and Petrov has set his sights on a trophy this term.

He continued: “We have made progress under the manager for the last three years. We have finished higher up the league and we have been to Europe.

“But now we want to win something and the Carling Cup is a very good chance for us to do that.”

Villa travel to Portsmouth this week in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.