Friedel joined Villa from Blackburn, who will meet tonight, for £2.5million in July.
He said: “He has been an excellent keeper for a number of years and he’s got better with age like David James.
“His age is of no concern to me. He is as good a keeper as there is in the Premier League.
“I felt his experience and general know-how would help us immensely and they have done so.
“He’s also an interesting man. His head is screwed on. He is brave and he looks after himself. And he still feels he can play in the Premier League.”
