Tuesday, 19th August, 2014
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has backed summer signing Carlos Sanchez to be a vital player for his side.
The Colombia international, who represented his nation at the World Cup, joined the Villains on a four-year deal from Spanish club Elche last week.
And Lambert, who revealed that Aston Villa were on the lookout for a defensive midfielder this summer, feels Sanchez fits the bill perfectly.
The manager was also impressed with Sanchez’s displays in Brazil for Colombia, but thinks that the 28-year-old is yet to hit his best form.
"It was well documented we were on the lookout for a defensive midfielder. I watched a lot of games of Carlos to see if he fitted the bill”, Lambert explained to the club’s official site.
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"We looked at somewhere I thought we needed strengthening – in the middle of the pitch – and he fitted what we wanted.
"In the Colombian national team a lot of his work went unseen because James Rodriguez and people like that were playing really well.
"But he's vital to the system and he'll be vital here. He'll be a really top player for us.
"He's 28-years-old, not at his prime yet, he's still to hit that. But he's played in big games.
"He's played in the World Cup with extraordinary pressure, playing against great players. You have a guy there who knows the game."
Sanchez, who joined Elche from Valenciennes last summer, made 31 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish outfit in the 2013/14 campaign.
He has thus far earned 47 senior caps for Colombia, but is yet to find the back of the net at international level.
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