Former skipper Chris Nicholl believes Villa must make finding a defensive leader their priority this summer.

Boss Martin O’Neill is on the hunt for a new centre-back to fill the shoes of talismanic skipper Martin Laursen after injury forced the Great Dane to hang up his boots.

Curtis Davies, Zat Knight and Carlos Cuellar are the current central defensive options available to O’Neill but Nicholl, who skippered Villa to League Cup glory in 1977, says a more dominant presence is required.

“You need someone to head it out,” said Nicholl. “As soon as Martin went out of the team they couldn’t do that.

“Curtis Davies was attacking the ball much better but Zat Knight doesn’t head it enough for his size – Laursen was the one they relied on.

“He was a central player for Villa, he was brilliant. When they were defending their own penalty area he was the main man. It will take a lot of money to replace him.”

O’Neill chopped and changed his back four over the course of the season – with right-back Luke Young spending half of the campaign as a left-back and his natural position often taken by Cuellar or midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker.

Ex-centre back Nicholl hopes to see a more settled defence next term, however, and believes it could be crucial to Villa’s success.

“Since Laursen went out (of the side) I’ve never been comfortable with the back-line,” he added. “I’ve never liked changes to a defence.

“I would rather play with somebody whose strengths and weaknesses I knew. The back line is sacrosanct as far as I am concerned.”