The 27-year-old, who has won two caps for his country, has put pen to paper on a three-year contract at Villa Park, where his arrival will compensate for the recent loss of Wilfred Bouma to a serious ankle injury.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill told his club's official website: "Nicky is a quality natural left-back who played for England 18 months ago.

"Obviously the injury to Wilfred has left a gaping hole on the left side. 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."

Shorey had spent seven years with the Royals, helping the club reach the top-flight of English football for the first time in their history.

In total he scored 12 goals in 295 appearances for Reading, having started his career with Leyton Orient.