Moore commits to Villa

Aston Villa striker Luke Moore has signed a new three-year contract with the midlands club.

Moore has put pen to paper on a deal which will keep him at Villa Park until the summer of 2008.

The 19-year-old has always been regarded as an exciting prospect since he scored 18 goals in just seven games for Villa’s Under-17s side.

Moore then played a major part in Villa winning the FA Youth Cup in 2002 with his brother Stefan also in the side.

The Birmingham-born player had his first taste of senior action during the 2003-04 campaign when he scored four goals in six games on loan to Wycombe Wanderers.

He made his Villa debut later the same season as a substitute in the 2-2 draw with Birmingham.

The player was a regular member of manager David O’Leary’s first-team squad last season and he scored his first Premiership goal against Middlesbrough in a 2-0 success in March.

Villa has been holding talks for several months with Moore over a new contract but now he has ended uncertainty about his future.

He will face stiff competition for a place in the starting line-up now Darius Vassell and Juan Pablo Angel are back to full fitness after ankle and knee injuries respectively.

But Moore, whose hero as a youngster was Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, is expected to challenge for place in the side when Villa players report back for pre-season training at the start of July.