Aston Villa manager Dean Smith heaped massive praise on debutant Tyrone Mings, after the defender's monumental display in a 0-0 draw against Reading at the weekend.

The 25-year old was handed his first Villa start since arriving from AFC Bournemouth on deadline day, as Dean Smith looks to bolster his fragile defence ahead of the business end of the season.

The towering defender may have been at the centre of controversy after seemingly stamping on Nelson Oliveira's head, but overall, his display at the back helped the Villans keep a clean sheet for only the sixth team this term.

And speaking to the club media after the encounter at the Madejski Stadium, Dean Smith was full of praise for his deadline day signing.

"I thought he was excellent - he showed a lot of composure on the ball."

"His distribution was good, he defended well, I'm pleased for him and Lovre to get that clean sheet."

It was game in which Villa just couldn't get out of first gear, as a resilient Reading side battled and did what they could, as they keep on fighting for their lives at the bottom end of the Sky Bet Championship.

The weekend stalemate leaves Dean Smith's men sitting 9th in the league standings, four points off the play-off positions after winning just one of their last six league games.

The Verdict

It was a rare, solid display from Aston Villa at the weekend, the addition of Tyrone Mings definitely added a bit of presence, strength, and all round class to the back-line.

After a difficult few years with injury, the weekend proves that if you can keep Mings up to full fitness, then he has the ability to be a very important player for the Villans.

I still hugely believe that the West Midlands side can achieve a play-off finish this season - they are only four points off the top six and have a fantastic squad on paper.