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One of a number of signings this summer following Aston Villa's promotion to the Premier League, Bjorn Engels has found himself at the heart of defence alongside Tyrone Mings.

The 24-year-old arrived from French side Reims in a reported £9m deal and was immediately thrown into the deep end by Dean Smith for Villa's opening two Premier League games of the season.

Despite seeing the side fall to successive defeats, Smith kept faith in the 6 foot 4 ace and he duly rewarded his manager with an imperious performance against Everton on Friday night.

The Belgian registered a team-high three aerial duels won and put his body on the line multiple times with three blocked shots too.

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After seeing the centre-back lay everything down for the cause against the Toffees, Villa fans took to Twitter to marvel at the 24-year-old's display.

Many supporters of the Midlands side looked back fondly to a moment in the game when he appeared to celebrate a superb block with a fist pump.

Indeed, some fans made comparisons between Engels and former club stalwarts Martin Laursen and Olof Mellberg, and one insisted he is "exactly the sort of CB" the side have been waiting for.

Check out some of the reaction of Villa fans below:

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