Stewart Downing will remind Aston Villa team-mate Stiliyan Petrov of his injury

Stiliyan Petrov will be getting a gruesome reminder of the way he shattered Aston Villa team-mate Stewart Downing’s foot - in the shape of the metal rod that held it back together for seven months.

Downing is planning on leaving the metal hardware on Petrov's dressing room locker - but the Bulgarian is more interested in the England winger under-pinning a Villa trophy assault this season.

Villa skipper Petrov took over the armband duties from Martin Laursen in the summer, after the Dane’s retirment due to a knee injury.

And he wants Downing to help him celebrate his promotion by becoming the first to lift some silverware for boss Martin O’Neill in the Carling Cup this season.

Downing could make his full Villa debut as O’Neill bids for a semi-final spot at Fratton Park tonight - now that the former Middlesbrough man has fully recovered from the fractured metatarsal caused by Petrov last season.

The sight of one of Fabio Capello’s possibles for South Africa next summer could not have come quickly enough for Petrov who reckons it is time to mark the progress under O’Neill with real success.

“I am really happy to see him fit, because this boy loves to play football and he can help all of us in the team,” said Petrov.

“When you see someone who loves to play the game and he is unable to do it because of injury that is not pleasant.

“It is even harder when you know that you were involved in that injury, but now he is raring to go.

“I can’t wait to see him in action because I think he is going to be a very special player for us.

“He is going to be very special to our team and he has come back at a great time for us because we want to win something this season.

“We have made progress under the manager for the last three years. We have finished higher up the league and we have been to Europe.

“But now we want to win something and the Carling Cup is a very good chance for us to do that.”

Downing was forced to sit and watch all the 1-1 draw with Spurs at Villa Park on Saturday from the bench, but O’Neill is contemplating unleashing him from the start against Portsmouth.

The Villa boss is determined to make his own statement in the competition this season and said: “We are taking it very seriously.

“We want to do really well in a competition that we have not done too well in of late. Like most Premier League sides we want to have a proper run in it.”