Premier League legend Brad Friedel has cast doubts on the ability of the current set of Aston Villa players in the bid to secure an European ticket at the end of this season. Brad Friedel rarely gives an interview but the former Premier League goalkeeper sat down with the Birmingham Mail to talk about Aston Villa, Jack Grealish and the Premier League.

According to the ex-Aston Villa shot stopper, the current crop of Aston Villa players are still some way from his team that finished in sixth place in two successive seasons in the Premier League. 49-year-old Brad Friedel was 37 when he signed for Aston Villa in 2008 and he went on to help the club to sixth place at the end of the league season in his first two campaigns.

Brad Friedel said his Aston Villa team should have qualified for Champions League football in 2009.According to him,a top half finish would be a massive improvement this season in comparison to last season when current set of Aston Villa players survived relegation by the whiskers.

Brad Friedel works with promoesport at the moment as an agent. Promoesport looks after players like Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore, Carles Gil and Eric Bailly, an Ivorian national team player who is on the payroll of Premier League giants Manchester United. Apart from Aston Villa, Brad Friedel also played for clubs like Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur during an illustrious Premier League career.

He played 131 times for Aston Villa following his £2.25m transfer from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2008. According to him, he had the option of Aston Villa or Manchester City and that he opted for the former due to the uncertainty at Manchester City at the time.