PLAYER PROFILE

Thomas Sorensen

Position: Goal

Height: 6'4

Weight: 13st 8lbs

Date of Birth: 1976-06-12 Odense, Denmark

Thomas Sorensen

Thomas Sorensen left relegated Sunderland for Aston Villa for £2.25million in August 2003, following Gavin McCann out of the Stadium of Light and into David O'Leary's plans.

His cut-price sale was inevitable as the Black Cats tried to reduce the wage bill after an abysmal Premiership season in 2002/03 which saw them rock bottom of the league in May.

Former Sunderland boss Peter Reid snapped up Sorensen after losing Lionel Perez to neighbours Newcastle. At just £500,000, the big Dane looked to have been one of Reid's wisest ever investments. After breaking Sunderland's club record for the most clean sheets in one season during his first year in English football, Sorensen simply went from strength to strength.

Reid convinced Sorensen to go to the Stadium of Light with the promise of regular first team football, something he felt could help him force his claim for a place in the Danish national side and eventually overtake Peter Schmiechel. That promise has paid off, with Sorensen's performances in the Sunderland goal propelling him into the Spotlight as Denmark's new number one.

The big keeper had the chance to go to Ajax and Udinese instead of Sunderland, but the fact he opted for the North East payed dividends in making him an international regular. The big Dane is regarded as one of the best all-round keepers the Premiership has ever seen and his presence will be vital to David O'Leary's hopes of building a Villa side capable of winning silverware.

While his first season didn't bring any trophies, Sorensen was certainly a success and he helped Villa completely turn around their fortunes as they finished sixth, narrowly missing out on European football. He was also involved in Denmark's run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2004.

This fine form continued into his second Villa Park campaign. He made 39 appearances, keeping 11 clean sheets in Villa's fairly disappointing season.

He remains a vital part of the Villa squad and is their number one choice between the sticks.