Fabian Delph
Nationality :
English
Date of Birth :
21/11/1989
Height :
5' 8" (174cm)
Weight :
9st 6lbs (60.0kg)
Squad Number :
16
Previous Clubs :
England U21, Leeds
Position :
Midfielder
Fabian Delph is used to "battling" - he's been doing it most of his Villa career.
And it's more of the same for the young midfield ace, who is hoping to catch the eye of manager Alex McLeish after assuring fans he's stepping up his claret and blue career following several scares.
The former Leeds midfield ace has had a torrid time with injuries since moving to Villa in August 2009.
Only seven months later, Delph had to be stretchered off in training with a nasty anterior cruciate ligament problem.
That kept the 21-year-old out for eight months and he made his return in games against Tottenham and Manchester City.
He re-injured his knee at Eastlands, however, before making another comeback.
After a couple of sub appearances, he came on against Blackburn in the unusual left-back role before keeping his place in that position against Manchester City in the FA Cup.
He played a "central" role in the victory over Arsenal before suffering yet more injury heartache against the Reds on the final afternoon of the season.
Delph now wants to return to the kind of form he displayed prior to his knee injury.
Delph signed for Villa in July 2009 after establishing himself as one of the rising stars of English football.
And, considering the step up to the Barclays Premier League from League One, he impressed everyone with his all-action and combative performances.
Within days of signing, Martin O'Neill was telling the press about the central star's enthusiasm in tackling team-mates in training - joking he prayed the hardman wouldn't crock anyone before the weekend matches.
It was his maturity and ability to influence a game - like he did against Fiorentina in a pre-season friendly - which led O'Neill to select him for the opening match against Wigan at Villa Park.
Villa struggled in the game, surprisingly went down 2-0 and Delph lost his place for a while but when he returned to action he impressed greatly, especially in the top-flight clash with Manchester United and FA Cup fourth round match with Brighton.
O'Neill eventually used Delph sparingly but admitted he expects him to play a big role in the future of the club.
Delph's season ended annoyingly when he injured his knee in training - forcing him out for the end of the campaign and a proportion of the following season too.
Delph's quality came to the fore in the 2008-09 season with Leeds where his form was recognised with a string of awards.
Not only was the England under-21 international named in the PFA League One Team of the Year, he won the FourFourTwo Young Player of the Year as well as a hat-trick of gongs at the end of season awards.
Delph's debut for Leeds came as a substitute against Derby County on the last day of the 2006-07 campaign.
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