"?Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has backed Gabby Agbonlahor after starting him in Friday's 1-1 draw with Brighton.
Bruce revealed that he thinks the England international has been made a scapegoat in recent months and that he deserved to start on the South Coast.
The 30-year-old has performed well since his return to the Villa squad according to Bruce, who feels his inclusion is a reward for the hard work he has put in off the pitch.
"I think it was important that we rewarded him. He has been made to be the bad guy over the last 18 months,"? Bruce told reporters - via "?Squawka
"I said to him "?get yourself in some reasonable shape'. He has now lost a lot of weight.
"Gabby Agbonlahor has played around 300 games in the Premier League and scored something like 80 goals."?
"It's never easy with one up top. Fair play to him because in six weeks he's lost over six kilos. Gabby absolutely ran himself to a standstill.
"The way he's trained over the last few weeks, I thought he deserves to start. He won us the game in my opinion against Blackburn."
In quotes: "He deserved to start" - Gabby Agbonlahor continuing to impress Steve Bruce. ??? #AVFC #BHAAVL pic.twitter.com/2aZwZwuW4k
Agbonlahor was suspended by Villa during last season's calamitous relegation campaign and was maligned by supporters for his few performances.
Roberto Di Matteo had made it clear that Agbonlahor, who has made over 300 appearances for the club since 2005, was not part of his plans.
Steve Bruce put the player on a weight-loss programme on his arrival at the club and it's clearly proved a success.