Aston Villa star heaps praise on Tottenham playmaker

Aston Villa centre half believes that the Republic of Ireland must nullify the threat of Croatian Luka Modric if they are to register a positive result.

Both sides begin their Euro 2012 campaign in Poznan this evening and having come up against the Spurs star in the Premier League on a regular basis, Dunne knows just how good the midfielder is.

“Modric is brilliant,” Dunne told the Telegraph.

“The Croatian side is technically very good, but he’s the one that really makes them tick.

“When we played them in Dublin last year, he was the one that passed and moved and created the chances.

“I know, having played against and seen him at Tottenham for a long time, he’s one of the top players in the tournament, so we’ll have to look after him.”