England armband would suit Villa ace

Martin O'Neill believes the England captaincy could make Gareth Barry become an even bigger player for Villa.

Barry has been linked with the armband as new boss Fabio Capello rotates captains looking for the ideal skipper.

John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand have captained England under Capello so far.

And Barry continues to be talked about as a potential skipper after cementing his place as a regular this year.

O'Neill said: "They're talking about sharing around the armband until Fabio Capello finds the right one.

"And if Gareth happened to get the England captaincy for 10 minutes it would be an enormous boost for him and great for everyone concerned – even if he was just passed the armband.

"He'd say his form of captaincy was different from say a John Terry or a Roy Keane for example of those who have done it for a certain length of time.

"But he's a quality player and from breaking into the England set-up, he's solidified his position in the squad and all of those things are great for his confidence."

O'Neill believes Barry is ready to lead Villa to a big finish to the season after his pivotal performance against Bolton last week.

"If his performance on Saturday is to be a reflection on how he's going to perform for us between now and the end of the season, we'd be delighted," he said.