Villa striker out to be England hit

Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has vowed to make an impression for England – despite a 10-match goal drought.

Agbonlahor is set to be included for the friendly against France next Wednesday after a pulled hamstring forced him out against Switzerland.

“Getting injured was a bit of an injustice, so hopefully I can show them what I’m capable of,” said Agbonlahor.

“I got into the last squad only to pull out through injury, so I think I’ll get a second chance and I want to make the most of it. I want to do my best for England.”

Agbonlahor insisted, though: “My main concern is Villa and getting back into contention, because Portsmouth have gone ahead of us,” he said.

“We just need to get back on form and stay in the hunt for a UEFA Cup place.

“People might say it’s over for us in terms of fifth place, but if you look at our home games, we have every chance of winning them all.

“We’ve got a tough away game at Manchester United, but after that we’re capable of winning our games.”

Like Villa boss Martin O’Neill, Agbonlahor isn’t worried about his lack of goals and added: “I definitely still feel capable of scoring.

“I got 10 last season and I’ve got seven this season, so hopefully I can get into double figures.

“Sometimes it goes against you, but I’ve got a good manager here and the team will work hard and bounce back well against Sunderland on Saturday.”

Villa lost 3-2 to Chelsea to exit the FA Youth Cup in front of a Villa Park crowd of 10,891 last night.