FABIAN Delph has been tipped to become a fully-fledged England star of the future – by Villa captain and central midfield partner Stiliyan Petrov.

Petrov will lock horns with the Three Lions’ top centre-of-the-park players when Bulgaria host Fabio Capello’s men in Friday evening’s Euro 2012 qualifier.

And the claret and blue skipper believes it is only a matter of time before rejuvenated Delph is strutting his stuff on the international stage for England.

Delph has been in encouraging form this season since manager Alex McLeish and Villa’s medical staff devised a training programme to ease him back from injury.

“If he keeps himself fit he’ll be ready in a year or two and will get a call-up in the national team,” said Petrov.

“I think he’s unique because he’s got that funny thing about his game.

“He’s very little but he’s very aggressive. He wants to win every single battle, even in training, even in the gym.

“He’s exceptional, you need to see the drive this boy has got. When we lose he doesn’t talk to people for a day or two. It’s a good thing to see in a player. He’ll be exceptional if he can keep himself fit.”

As the senior man in Villa’s central midfield duo, 32-year-old Petrov has made it his responsibilty to guide his 21-year-old partner through Premier League games.

“To play as a midfielder is really difficult,” he said. “It’s about having everything – tackling, running and making a decision very quickly.

“He’s learning and is willing to learn, which is a very good thing to see.

“When you see someone wanting to learn and want to improve you want to help them as much as you can.