Gary Cahill

Steve Cotterill, his former manager at Burnley

We signed Gary on loan from Villa and gave him his debut at 18. Villa’s academy had a brilliant reputation with their young players, giving them a tough upbringing, and in Gary’s case it clearly worked.

He was a diamond in his season with us and playing in the Championship will have toughened him up because it is real bloodand-thunder stuff, the kind of challenge kids do not face in the reserves.

I wanted to sign Gary (below) permanently and I kept on at the chairman at the time, Barry Kilby, to make Villa an offer. He might just have been affordable. Bolton got him a couple of years later for £5 million. He was a top player at that age and has only improved, he deserves everything that has come his way.