Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has praised the intensity of Yacouba Sylla during his first training sessions with the club.

Midfielder Sylla arrived at Villa Park during the transfer window, and Agbonlahor has revealed that the Frenchman is not afraid to put himself about in training.

Agbonlahor told the Daily Star: "He's a hard man, no doubt about that. He's the hard man in the squad. He gets really stuck in during training.

"He's really, really strong. He puts himself about. He's full of enthusiasm. He wants to win every tackle.

"He's even tougher than Ron Vlaar. He puts in two-footed challenges in training."

Sylla has featured twice for Villa during his first month in the West Midlands.