Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has expressed his delight following the news that Ashley Westwood has signed a new contract with the club.

The midfielder joined Villa last summer from League One outfit Crewe Alexandra, but despite the jump in standard, Westwood's passing ability in particularly earned him a number of plaudits.

"I think a lot gets overlooked with Ashley but he has just come in here and has taken to it no problem whatsoever," Lambert told the club's official website.

"He was captain at Crewe and played a lot of games in men's football before he came here so he knew what it was about.

"If you look at the stats regarding his passing, they are terrific, something like a 91% success rate. He never seems to give the ball away. He's been exceptional."

The 23-year-old made 31 appearances in all competitions last season.

Written by
Liam Apicella