Aston Villa manager Roberto di Matteo has revealed he substituted Ghana winger Albert Adomah because the former Middlesbrough man looked tired in the second-half against Newcastle United.

The former Boro man was handed his full debut before Villa fans at the Villa Park and gave flashes of brilliance on the flanks.

However he was replaced in the 63rd minute as Jordan Ayew assisted the equaliser for the home side.

The Italian gaffer has revealed he substituted Adomah because he was 'a bit tired' in the second-half.

"He hasn’t played a full game in a long time and you can see in the second-half that he was a little bit tired."

Adomah was the last of nine new signings to make a debut, and Di Matteo is seeing signs that his new-look team is starting to gel.

"Every week that goes past helps us," he added. "Today we had another debut from the start with Adomah.

"The last three or four games have been a little bit like that with new players.

"The weeks will certainly be in our favour."