13:44

John Gregory on Gareth Barry

Some really interesting stuff over on Everton’s official website from former Villa boss John Gregory, who gave Gareth Barry his debut at the age of just 17.

He said: “You knew he would play at the top for a long, long time.

“In my Villa team, Gareth ended up going into a back three playing alongside Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate. They all complemented each other so much and there were times when you would actually think Gareth was the senior player.

Roberto Mancini at Manchester City adored Gareth for his attitude and the way that he trained. I know everyone at Villa Park are still massive admirers of him and I was a little bit disappointed they didn’t grab him on loan from Manchester City [when he joined Everton].

“Because he does everything so efficiently, he is one of those players which the average fan doesn’t really notice, he just goes about his business in such a consistent manner.”