Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry has hailed the impact of Marlon Harewood since his arrival at the club.Harewood is yet to make a Premier League start for Villa after his summer move from West Ham, but after an inspirational second-half performance against Newcastle, Barry believes he could soon earn a starting spot.

The England midfielder told the club's official website: "Marlon deserves a lot of credit - probably more than he got - because he pumped the players at half-time in the dressing room.

"His work-rate lifted everyone and I'm sure John (Carew) with his goals appreciated all the work Marlon did for him.

"Marlon was half-thinking he might have started against Newcastle with Gabby (Agbonlahor) being out, but he had to wait until half-time. You could tell he was desperate to prove a point and I think he did and he's now in the manager's mind.

"Marlon's been an asset all season - he's kept working hard and he's had to remain patient. But he's been around the game long enough to know you have to do that sometimes."

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