Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has called on Gabriel Agbonlahor to take his game to another level and fire the club to safety.
McLeish backs forward to end goal drought in Bent's absence
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has called on Gabriel Agbonlahor to take his game to another level and fire the club to Premier League safety.
The club suffered a massive blow earlier this week when striker Darren Bent was ruled out for up to three months after suffering ruptured ankle ligaments.
His absence has left Villa short of firepower, with Irish frontman Robbie Keane back at LA Galaxy after a brief loan spell and Emile Heskey and Stephen Ireland having scored just a goal apiece this season.
Agbonlahor, who came through the youth ranks at the club, has not netted since last November's 3-2 win over Norwich.
But McLeish is convinced the 25-year-old England international has a crucial role to play as Villa look to avoid a relegation scrap, with the club currently 15th in the table having secured just two wins in their last 11 league games.
Responsibility
He said: "There is again a big responsibility on Gabby. He is now one of the senior players here in terms of Aston Villa history.
"He is man and boy Villa. I think this season Gabby has risen to the expectation levels and I believe he can take it to another level.
"Losing Darren, Keane and Richard Dunne is just something you can't legislate for. That's a huge blow to any team, losing three players of that experience, but I believe we've got the players who can see us okay for this season and we've got to build next season.
"I've always said this season would be a tough challenge and that's the way it has panned out. Now we have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and get the Gabby Agbonlahors and Stephen Irelands of this world really coming to the fore."
