The Danish defender missed much of last term with a knee injury and never looked fully fit when he eventually returned to the side. "My knee feels good," said Laursen, a £3m signing from AC Milan last summer. "I'm in the gym every day undergoing a full weights programme indoors, and I'm also running once a day. The knee is sore sometimes, and I am not ready to train twice a day with the rest of the squad. But I am happy with how things are going and will soon be ready to step things up. The Villa fans will see the real me next season."
They saw just three games of the fake Laursen last term before injury ruled him out for three months. His return to the reckoning was even briefer, and less than eight minutes of a friendly against Northampton had elapsed before he returned to the Physio Room. Villa's 2005/06 campaign begins against Bolton Wanderers on 13 August and Laursen is hoping for a longer impact this time around. "Hopefully I can show what I am really about this season," he told avfc.co.uk, "I certainly aim to play more than I did last year. There is a good atmosphere around the dressing room and a belief that we can move forwards."