Ron Vlaar's our main man says Jores Okore

The defender, who sat out most of the campaign with a knee injury, believes the Holland ace has been key to Premier League survival.

Villa finished just five points above the drop zone after seven defeats in their last nine games.

And this week Vlaar admitted the squad are in the dark over boss Paul Lambert's future with the manager having met chairman Randy Lerner in New York yesterday.

But Okore insisted Vlaar has kept the team calm and helped them stay up.

"I have been really impressed with him – as a defender and as a skipper," said Okore, who suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury last September.

"He's the rock of the defence. Everyone looks up to him. He always works very hard every day at the training ground. He takes responsibility for everything on the pitch."