When Aston Villa icon had goalless Sheffield Wednesday stint - it is easy to forget this happened | OneFootball

Aston Villa legend Gabriel Agbonlahor had goalless loan spell with Sheffield Wednesday in 2005.

Aston Villa legend Gabriel Agbonlahor made just 11 appearances in his career not wearing a claret and blue shirt, and these were certainly forgettable for everyone involved.

The former England international was a stalwart for the Midlands club over his 13-year professional career, making just shy of 400 appearances in all competitions, and chipping in with well over 100 goal contributions.

It's hard to imagine Agbonlahor wearing anything other than the famous claret and blue of the Villains, but some may be surprised to learn that, in fact, he did.

Right at the start of the striker's professional career in 2005, he was sent on loan to Watford and then Sheffield Wednesday, before making his big break into the Aston Villa squad.

However, his loans didn't pan out as either party had hoped, particularly with the Owls, who Agbonlahor made eight appearances for, and failed to register a single goal contribution in his time in Yorkshire.

Gabby Agbonlahor's forgettable loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday

One of Aston Villa's most iconic players since the turn of the century, the way his career began wasn't indicative of someone who would go on to score 73 goals in the Premier League, becoming the club's all-time leading goalscorer in the top flight, before Ollie Watkins broke his record.

In 2005, the youngster had just emerged from the youth ranks at Villa, and was keen to get some first-team experience under his belt to aid his chances of breaking into the first team at Villa Park.

The then-19-year-old joined Sheffield Wednesday on a short loan deal after failing to make a mark at Watford, but this spell would also prove to be unsuccessful, as Agbonlahor would feature just eight times in the Championship, scoring no goals.

The Englishman later shared that he "hated football" during his spell with the Owls, but this loan setback would only help develop him into the player that he would go on to become later in his career.

Agbonlahor's Sheffield Wednesday story is a great example for young players

Unfortunately, loan spells aren't always guaranteed to work out and often separate players who have a future at the top level from the ones that don't. This can be particularly crushing, especially with most loanees being right at the start of their professional footballing journey.

However, the story of Agbonlahor's struggles on loan is a great example for any young player coming off the back of a tough loan spell, serving as a reminder to never give up, even if things are difficult to start off with.

Despite the difficulties the striker faced in his first loan spells, what he did later in his career has seen these two short stints away from Villa Park become forgotten memories that would've helped develop him into the player he became.

The now popular talkSPORT pundit went on to become a legend at his boyhood club, which must've felt like an impossible dream during his time at Sheffield Wednesday, but what happened after serves as a great example to any young player in the modern game.