He suffered something of an injury nightmare during his initial years at Villa Park, making only a handful of Premier League starts in his first three seasons, but used the 2007/08 season to raise his profile - scoring six goals.
He came into the professional game in 1996, signing for Danish side Silkeborg IF and soon helped them to finish runners-up in the league in 1997/98.
In August 1998 he earned a move abroad with Italian side Hellas Verona, then a Serie B side, but while his first term was wrecked by a knee injury, he made a comeback to star in the next two campaigns.
The Dane earned his senior international bow while with Hellas Verona, it came in a friendly match away at Portugal in March 2000. He was subsequently named in Denmark's squad for Euro 2000 as a back-up player.
Interest from bigger clubs was beginning to grow, and in the summer of 2001 an £8.7million switch to Parma fell through. But a month later he did move on, to AC Milan.
He struggled to establish himself at the San Siro, but was becoming an important player for his country and played in all four of their games at the 2002 World Cup, effectively marking Zinedine Zidane in a 2-0 win against France.
Laursen earned silverware with Milan in 2003, playing in the Italian Cup final. But he did not feature in the Champions League final.
In May 2004, Laursen moved on to the Premiership after failing to establish himself in the first team - mainly due to the presence of Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta.
Laursen, who signed a four-year contract at Villa Park, linked up with Denmark number one Thomas Sorensen - shunning interest from Everton, Middlesbrough and Charlton Athletic, who were also keeping tabs on the defender.
Strong in the air, athletic and very competitive, Laursen can be guilty of ball-watching at times and has also been prone to injuries during his career.
Struggling with a knee ligament injury in 2006/07, Laursen went to see renowned American surgeon Dr Richard Steadman and recovered to make an impressive end to the campaign.
Back to full fitness for 2007/08, Laursen played a major role in the Villa defence. Developing a knack for scoring goals, Villa didn't suffer a single league defeat when he was in the side, and a fully fit Laursen is a massive boost for the club.
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