The Iceman cometh for Villa and Taylor hopes permanently

Icelandic midfielder Joey Gudjonsson's explosive debut for Premiership underachievers Aston Villa has persuaded their manager Graham Taylor the time for relying on experience has gone and the future lies in youth.

Gudjonsson, 22, scored from a 40 yard freekick in Villa's stunning 5-2 away thrashing of Middlesbrough on Tuesday to record their first win oustide Villa Park in the Premiership this season.

While the Icelandic international picked up a booking - to back up his tough guy image he established during his spells with Dutch side RKC Waalwijk and latterly Real Betis in Spain - Taylor said more of those sort of performances and he would demand the board stump up the cash to buy him off Betis.

Gudjonsson is just on loan till the end of the season after he got fed up at Betis having played only five times this campaign.

Taylor, who has been told he has to sell to buy again, is aware Gudjonsson would cost several million but insisted if chairman 'Deadly' Doug Ellis and the rest of the board wanted to fill the trophy cabinet then they would have to pay up.

"If he (Gudjonsson) continues to play like I think he will, then we have an option to buy and I hope that option doesn't fall away," the former England manager told the Birmingham Evening Mail.

"I well understand the position of the club, simply on the basis of having to sell before we buy.

"But if you bring a 22-year-old in and he does what I know he's capable of, then I'm sure the money will be found.

"The fee hasn't been agreed.

"We're at the head of the queue for him, and I think we will remain there, but that does depend on Joey now continuing where he has started and showing the supporters what he is capable of doing."

Taylor, who would most like to divest himself of Colombian international striker Juan-Pablo Angel and Turkisn defender Alpay, supported his call for investing in youth by the fact there were only two 30-somethings on the pitch against Boro.

"Joey is 22 and that is who this club has got to have. We've got some good young boys here.

"That side last night, you had Ronny Johnsen and Dion Dublin at 33, then the next was Peter Enckelman at 25.

"We've been down that road of spending a lot of money and still haven't got any trophies.

"This is the way I believe that Villa has to go at the moment."

Taylor revealed it was thanks to his close friendship with the midfielder's father, former Stoke City manager Gudjon Thordarsson, that he had heard about him.

"We've been a little bit fortunate because I know his father very well from international level. He came to see me and I have a great respect for him.

"I knew he was talking about his son, but I also know that professionally he wouldn't have been telling me these great things if he didn't firmly believe them himself.

"The fact Joey's only played five games this season put people off and we hadn't seen him play this season.

"So it was all about valuing the judgment of his father and then having him over for three days."

Gudjonsson's next chance to further impress Taylor and the Villa faithful will come this Sunday at home to Blackburn Rovers.