‘Formidable’ Shay Given is one of the top three goalkeepers in the Premier League – former Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor welcomes signing of…

Shay Given, Manchester City (Getty Images)

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By Rob Stewart

Former Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor has insisted that his old club have captured one of the best three goalkeepers in the Premier League in the shape of the “formidable” Shay Given.

Taylor has hailed current Villa boss Alex McLeish’s decision to bring the 35-year-old to Villa Park from Manchester City following Brad Friedel’s move to Tottenham and has predicted that the Republic of Ireland international will keep playing top-flight football into his 40s.

Given, who made 354 appearances for Newcastle before quitting Tyneside for City in January 2009, lost his first-team place under Roberto Mancini due to the emergence of England goalkeeper Joe Hart and Taylor has insisted he will relish the challenge of re-establishing himself as a first-team regular.

“I really do think that making Shay Given his first signing is an excellent move because for me he is certainly one of the top three goalkeepers in English football alongside Joe Hart at Manchester City and Pepe Reina at Liverpool,” Taylor told Goal.com.

“At his age you could not have expected him to stay at Manchester City as Joe Hart’s understudy and not playing regularly but he will have a real point to prove now he is at Villa and that will spur him on.

“Shay has signed a five-year contract but goalkeepers can go on into their 40s so that is a shrewd bit of business for Villa and most Villa supporters will recognise that as a good signing, so that is a good start for Alex.”

Former England manager Taylor, who has had two spells in charge of Villa, believes that Given’s shot-stopping abilities will make him a favourite with supporters lamenting the departure of Friedel, who left for Spurs on a free transfer.

“What makes him such a formidable goalkeeper is that he has bags of experiences at the top level for club and country,” Taylor continued.

“He is not the tallest goalkeeper around so people will wonder how he can be so formidable but he will claim the ball in the six-yard box. He won’t be coming out 12 yards to get a cross when you have 6ft 4in centre-halves to do that job.

“They can’t expect him to keep coming to collect those crosses because that is not his forte but what the defenders will know is that this boy’s reactions when it comes to keeping the ball out of the net are excellent.

“His forte is lightning reactions to bring off saves. He gets down very quickly and knows the angles of his shots and if you look at his record at club level it is excellent, especially at Newcastle. He has not had the best of luck with injuries at City but I would back him to make up for lost time at Villa.”

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