Nigel Reo-Coker Bio

Reo-Coker, a central midfielder and captain of the England Under-21 side, joined Aston Villa in July 2007, after a poor season with West Ham had made him a scapegoat for the club's troubles.

A solid first season at Villa Park got the midfielder back on track and he even captained his new side in the absence of regular captain Gareth Barry against Liverpool in January.

Reo-Coker began his career at Wimbledon/MK Dons but became just another name on an increasingly long list of promising players to be sold off by the cash strapped club when he moved to West Ham United for an undisclosed fee in January 2004.

The midfielder had made his debut for Wimbledon at the end of the 2001/02 season, aged 17 and he became a regular in the first team squad in 2002/03, carving out a reputation as a quality midfield talent with the ability to get forward.

He made his West Ham bow in a 2-1 home win over Rotherham United and his first ever goal for the club came in a 5-0 thrashing of his old team Wimbledon.

The combative starlet grew in stature at Upton Park with a string of brilliant performances to become the club's youngest ever skipper at 20-years-of-age.

A real leader on the pitch, he was at the heart of the action as West Ham booked a place in the Premiership for 2005/06 with victory over Preston North End in play-off final.

Reo-Coker's first season in the Premiership was an impressive one. He led the club to an FA Cup final and a top half of the table finish, while receiving praise for his commanding performances in the centre of the park.

Attracting interest from Arsenal and Manchester United in the summer, the midfielder's form slumped at the beginning of 2006/07 season as West Ham suffered from a relegation battle and ongoing talks over a takeover.

He was singled out by some fans as the main culprit for the club's decline, somewhat unfairly, and his future was thrown into doubt.

With the sacking of Alan Pardew, Reo-Coker rediscovered his form in the latter part of the season and played a vital role in keeping the club in the top flight. However, with Premier League football confirmed, Reo-Coker handed in a transfer request to the club after the board had failed to reassure him over his future.

Eventually he made the switch to Villa Park in early July for a reported fee of £8.5million and joined after captaining England's Young Lions to the semi-final of the European Under-21 Championships.

His first season was solid, if not spectacular, and he has established himself as an important member of Martin O'Neill's squad.