Martin Laursen will come back stronger says Aston Villa legend

Apr 15 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

“We need him fit and in the team.”

Nicholl’s comments come after O’Neill dropped another strong hint that Laursen will miss Villa’s final six games of the season.

The Villa boss again compared his skipper to claret and blue legend Paul McGrath, who also contended with serious knee trouble.

Asked if Laursen will feature before the season is out, O’Neill replied: “I would think that it would be unlikely.”

“You just can’t keep moaning because he’s been out.

“You’ve just got to address it and try and go forward with it, but we have missed him this season.

“I’ve likened him to a Paul McGrath-type here. Paul McGrath was a wonderful, wonderful player for Aston Villa.

“He hardly trained during the week but came out and performed like he did because he was a world-class player.

“Martin Laursen has been immense for us and we have missed his presence.

“We’ve missed his presence defensively and, interestingly enough, we’ve actually missed it in the opposition box.”