Young striker Nathan Delfouneso sets sights on five Premier League starts this season

Nov 18 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail

O’Neill has underlined how highly he rates Dlfouneso by preferring to send experienced frontman Marlon Harewood out on loan rather than the academy youngster.

And the England Under-19 international is convinced he will continue to progress at Villa Park after pledging his future to the club until the summer of 2012.

“I’m happy to have got a new deal,” said Delfouneso, who has made substitute appearances against Wigan and Bolton in the league this season.

“Hopefully it’s the start of what I want to be trying to achieve and I can move on from here.

“The gaffer has seen enough in me to offer me a contract and wants to look at it and hopefully put me in the team and take it from there.

“I’ve learned loads since I was 16 or 17 and I first started to train and to travel with the team. Hopefully I can learn even more as I go along.”

Delfouneso believes he and his fellow Bodymoor Heath graduates can follow in the first-team footsteps of his Brummie predecessor Gabby Agbonlahor.

“There’s a lot of youngsters in and around the fringes of the team, so it seems like he’s looking at everyone,” he added.

“Hopefully I can impress more and play more.

“People like Gabby have come through the academy and done well, so it’s got to be the aim of all of us young boys to follow what he’s done.”