Alex McLeish believes he's got a "gem" on his hands in Gabby Agbonlahor as he backed the striker to get better and better.
McLeish also hailed the strike partnership he's developing with Darren Bent after the pair went on the rampage in a 2-0 win over Wigan.
He said: "Gabby is a powerful beast. He has great feet too and he's a kid that can get even better.
"He has shown magnificent fight to get himself into this team and that's fantastic because I know he loves Villa.
"I've got a gem on my hands if I can keep improving this guy.
"He has so much to offer and he's actually better than I thought he was. I think he can be even better too.
"That depends on Gabby. The attitude and application I've seen so far is that of a determined player.
"He was phenomenal. He did extremely well. He is always on the move.
"He has to realise that power he has. I don't mean the power as a runner but the power he has on defenders when he runs at them."
On the pairing with Bent, he added: "Those two looked very dangerous.
"I had wondered why the pairing hadn't been a regular feature in many ways.
"You have to get the midfield right if you are playing a 4-4-2. A lot of teams will strive to get control of the midfield, enabling you to control the game and tempo.
"We've tried to find ways of getting the two of them in without it hurting our midfield.
"Gabby has that frightening pace. Benty would love to have that extra asset. Darren is no slouch, he is quick enough, and he wins a lot of the aerial jousts."
However, McLeish did express his concern at Agbonlahor's back injury which has been troubling him since the start of the season.
The fab forward has had spells of irritation in his lower back and is on painkillers to null the ache.
He is going to see a specialist in London early this week in a bid to cure the problem.
McLeish added: "We are a bit worried about him. He's been on the massage table every day. It is getting stiffer as each day passes."
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