"At Celtic he gave me the back-up I needed to go out and perform in the way I knew I could," admitted Larsson of O'Neill on his official website. "He gave me freedom to play the way that was best for the team. He's a very strong but fair personality. You only have to look at what he did at Celtic or speak to the players who were under him to see what he's capable of.
"One of his greatest strengths is as a man-manager and he really knows how to get the best out of players. He is one of the best coaches around and will certainly bring something special to Villa.
"All players have certain individuals who have an impact on them in the course of their playing life and I'm no different. Martin O'Neill is one of those individuals. He's one of the coaches that I feel I owe a debt to. I can tell Villa fans that they have a great manager and I wish him the best of luck there."