Gabriel Agbonlahor has already undertaken a number of difficult career decisions. He was forced to pick between athletics and football, and then had to decide to whom he would pledge his sporting allegiance.

But if the winger-cum-striker had any doubts as to whether he was right in choosing the turf over the track and, thereafter, rejecting a call from the Nigerian U-20s to pursue an international future with England, then his achievements during the 2007/08 season have emphatically laid them to rest.

Indeed, the current campaign has already yielded the 21-year-old a Premier League Player of the Month award, a new four-contract at Aston Villa and a promotion to the senior England squad.

"Gabby's been in great form for us all season," said Villa captain Gareth Barry of a player that missed just 77 minutes of league action in 38 games last term. "He's taken on from where he left off last season but he's added to his game and is more consistent.

"The difference between Gabby and a lot of players is that he has got that extra bit of pace. He is as fast as there is. There are not too many who can stay with him and he is certainly in the top two or three.

Barry also appreciated the strides his team-mate has made under the expert tutelage of Martin O'Neill. "His pace frightens defenders but Gabby has also worked hard on all parts of his game like his strength. He can hold the ball up as well now and bring others into play. His all-round game is coming on."

Big game performer
Another aspect of Agbonlahor's game that has improved is his finishing. Despite being rotated from the right flank to the attack, he has weighed in with seven goals, a return which only two English players have surpassed during the 2007/08 Premier League.

Moreover, the bulk of his efforts have come either against quality opposition - including three of the division's current top four, Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton - or at crucial moments, cases in point being his winners in 2-1 away successes over arch-rivals Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic.

Agbonlahor's prolificacy and creativity have been central to Aston Villa's unexpected challenge for a ticket to the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League. With 12 rounds remaining, they lie just three points adrift of the qualification places.

And while a place in the Europe's top club competition, which the Villans won in 1982, remains the objective, their current position of sixth would likely see them through to the UEFA Cup - and represent a significant improvement on last season's bottom-half finish; one to which their No11 would be indebted.

Capello call-up
Agbonlahor's form did not go unnoticed by England head coach Fabio Capello, and the Villa flyer was one of only two uncapped players to make the Italian's maiden, 30-man squad for the friendly against Switzerland on 6 February. "I'm delighted. The thought of joining up with England is a tremendous honour," he exclaimed.

Injury, however, was to put paid to his chances of a full debut at Wembley. "I'm really disappointed," he said after withdrawing from the party just days before the game. "It's annoying but I suppose these things happen in football. The injury is nothing serious, so at least I'm not out for months with a problem.

"I'm just gutted because I was looking forward to getting a chance under the new manager. But to have been picked in this squad means I am in his plans, which is a boost. To have been selected ahead of the likes of Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent, Andy Johnson - players I really admire - is a great honour," added the Villa academy graduate.

Agbonlahor has enjoyed a rapid ascent since scoring on his Premier League bow in a defeat at Everton less than two years ago. He is now battling to be fit for Aston Villa's trip to Reading on Sunday, and he will be eager to pick up from where he left off prior to his hamstring strain.

Had Agbonlahor chosen sprinting as his vocation, he could have been representing his country at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. The youngster, however, is perfectly content to be involved in a race of a different kind - towards establishment in Capello's England squad.