Schmeichel made his name with Manchester United, joining the Red Devils in August 1991 for just £550,000 from Brondby. He had also played for Hvidovre.

The Danish international picked up a hoard of honours at Old Trafford, including five Championship medals. He also won the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League medals.

Left the English game in the summer of 1999 after a string of indifferent performances left him complaining about the number of games he was forced to play in this country.

The stopper joined Sporting Lisbon and had an immediate impact, helping them into the Champions League. However, Schmeichel began to look tired again throughout the 2001/02 season and when his contract expired it was thought he would retire.

But John Gregory unveiled the shock transfer of the summer after selling James to West Ham.

Schmeichel is best known for his presence between the sticks. United's defence struggled to play as well without him bellowing instructions. He is also famous for his excellence in one-on-one situations - making himself huge as he comes out.

His time at Villa started off very well, but as the season wore on the rigours of Premiership football appeared to be taking their toll on the stopper.

And when Gregory was ousted the stories were soon circulating that new manager Graham Taylor would not take up the option on the second year of his contract.