Paul Lambert has described Wes Hoolahan as "fantastic", as Aston Villa continue their pursuit of the Norwich City midfielder.
It was widely reported that Norwich had rejected a £1.5m bid for the player, which was followed by reports that Hoolahan had handed in a transfer request.
The Canaries denied those claims, but Lambert has come out to speak of his admiration for his former player, although he refused to discuss a potential transfer.
"When I was the manager at Norwich he was fantastic. He was a big player, he was excellent, but he's Norwich's player so there's no point talking about him," Lambert told the Birmingham Mail.
"Wes is a really good player. I had some great players there, the time I was there was a really enjoyable time. We had a lot of success and he was one of many who did excellent for us.
"There's no point me talking about other people's players when they're still at other clubs. I won't disrespect anybody on that front."
Villa are currently 11th in the Premier League.
