The England defender completed a medical this evening before becoming the second new full-back at Villa Park today following the capture of Nicky Shorey from Reading.

"I'm really pleased to be here at Villa. It's happened quite quickly. One minute I was training up at Boro and the next I'm down here for a medical," he told www.avfc.co.uk.

"Obviously I'm glad to be here now, but it could have been a year earlier. There was interest last summer, but it didn't quite happen for whatever reason. I'm just glad to find myself here now.

"I think this is a great opportunity for me to try and win something. I think at the minute Villa are a notch above Boro, and there's a great opportunity for me to play European football as well."

The former Tottenham and Charlton defender, 29, has seven England caps but has not featured for the national team since a friendly against Argentina in November 2005.

He could make his first competitive appearance for the Villans in next week's UEFA Cup qualifier against FH Hafnarfjordur, and Young admits the promise of European football was a major element in his decision to leave the Riverside Stadium.

"The chance of European football was definitely an important factor in my decision. You always want to test yourself at the highest level," he said.

"I had a brief stint playing European football at Tottenham. But that was almost 10 years ago, and it will be great to get another chance this season.

"It's definitely a case that Villa's ambitions match my own. I've worked hard over the last 10 years to perhaps get this chance to show what I can do on a little bit of a higher stage."

Young spent just a season at Boro after his cut-price £2.5million move from Charlton, following the Addicks' relegation.

He will finally provide Villa with a first-choice right-back after the departure of last year's incumbent Olof Mellberg, who has since left the club for Juventus.

O'Neill added: "The right-back position caused us a few problems for us last season, in terms of us not having a natural right-back.

"Luke is a natural right-back and played for England not so long ago. He did very well for Boro last season, and this is a great opportunity for him."

Young is Villa's fifth summer signing after Shorey, Steve Sidwell and goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan.

Shorey had been expected to leave Reading since their relegation last season, with a number of clubs reportedly interested in his services.

He will fill the void left by Wilfred Bouma, who dislocated his ankle recently, and provide long-term competition for places.

O'Neill said: "Strengthening the squad has obviously been in our minds for quite some considerable time.

"Obviously the injury to 'Freddie' (Bouma) has left a gaping hole on the left. 'Freddie' had a wonderful season for us last year, and this wasn't necessarily a priority for us before the injury.

"But Nicky Shorey is more than a back-up. He's a quality player on the ball and is up for the challenge."

Royals boss Steve Coppell added: "In many ways I am very sorry to see Nicky go, but he had made his intentions clear for almost a year. We wish him well at Villa."

Shorey revealed the ambition shown by O'Neill convinced him to move to the club.

"It's all come out of the blue a bit, but it's a great challenge for me. This is a massive club, and I'm really looking forward to it," he said.

"There were other clubs interested, but this is such a big club. Obviously I talked to the manager, and he's very positive and very ambitious. That's what I am, - especially after last season. I want to get back into the Premier League and show people what I can do."

The Londoner added: "When you talk to the manager you want to get a good feel for what he's trying to do, and I did straightaway with Martin. He made me feel at ease and made me feel wanted. That was a big factor."