Lambert lauds Gil debut in Liverpool defeat

Paul Lambert was gushing in his praise of new signing Carles Gil after the Spaniard made his Aston Villa debut at Liverpool on Saturday.

The Spain Under-21 international, who scored one goal in eight Liga appearances for former club Valencia, has signed a deal until 2019 for an undisclosed fee.

Gil played half an hour of his new team's 2-0 home defeat to Brendan Rodgers' men, but Lambert believes the 22-year-old put in a standout performance.

"Gil coming on was excellent," he said. "It was as good a debut as I've seen in a long time from a lad who's just come from another country and doesn't know everyone’s name.

"He's a top talent. Not a regular at Valencia, but a top talent.

"I know from experience [Lambert played in Germany for Borussia Dortmund], when you play in a foreign country, you don't understand the language and you play without fear.

"He was outstanding. He has a good temperament and has played at a massive football club in Spain. 

"When he finds his feet, Aston Villa have a top, top player on their hands."