Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has spoken of his pride and how pleased he is to see some of his former players doing so well in this year's World Cup.

In an intervew for Radio 5 Live, Bruce made comments on former players Harry Maguire, Jordan Pickford, and Jordan Henderson, all players he had a key role in helping along in their careers at some point.

Bruce signed Maguire when he was in charge of Hull City, paying Sheffield United for his services before seeing the big defender move on for Leicester City.

Pickford on the other hand was a teenager when Bruce was in charge at Sunderland, and Bruce spoke very highly of the young keeper in his interview for the BBC.

Finally, Bruce was also the one who gave current England midfielder Jordan Henderson his debut for the Black Cats, before seeing the midfielder leave for Liverpool and go on to become a key man in the Reds midfield over the last five seasons or so.

Bruce will no doubt be delighted to have had such an impact on the current crop of England players.

Maguire scored for England in their quarter final win over Sweden yesterday, as the Three Lions look to finally bring home the World Cup for the first time since 1966.

Villa fans, do you think Bruce deserves credit? Can he have the same impact at Villa Park? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!