Shay Given relishing first-team opportunities at Aston Villa next season – EPL News
Former Manchester City goalkeeper, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Shay-Given-c33284, has expressed his contentment on joining Aston Villa and is aiming to establish himself as a first choice keeper at Villa Park for the foreseeable future.
Given recently transferred to Aston Villa from Manchester City for a fee believed to be £3.5 million and will be contracted with the Villans until 2016.
The 35-year-old’s future had been in the air for the past two seasons as he fell down the pecking order with the emergence of talented http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Joe-Hart-c18699.
Manchester City boss, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mancini-c23323, decided to install Hart as his first choice goalkeeper last season after the English goalkeeper highly impressed during his loan spell at Birmingham City two seasons ago.
Given, who joined Manchester City from Newcastle United, was heavily linked with a number of European clubs including the likes of English giants Arsenal and Scottish club Celtic.
However, Aston Villa ultimately won the race for Given’s signature.
The Birmingham-based club had been searching for a perfect replacement to their veteran goalkeeper, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Brad-Friedel-c7953, who left the Villa Park at the end of the recently concluded season to join Tottenham Hotspur.
Given is delighted to have complete his switch to Aston Villa and is expecting a good start to life at the Villa Park. The 35-year-old has claimed he will give his best to repay the faith shown by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alex-c4752 McLeish.
“Aston Villa is a huge football club and I'm really excited to be joining. I'm looking forward to training and playing with the players here. They're a good bunch of lads, very talented and I know several of them already which will help,” Given enthused.
Despite being perfectly fit throughout the last season, the 35-year-old featured once for Manchester City. The 35-year-old is now aiming for regular first team action at the Villa Park and is confident that he will be able to establish himself in McLeish’s
starting eleven.
He stated, “Hopefully, this move will get me back to where I was before in the Premier League, which is where every player wants to be playing.”
The former Newcastle United custodian is looking forward to his a new chapter in his career. Given has claimed that he is desperate to wear the Aston Villa jersey and is aiming to impress Villa Park faithful with his performances in the Premier League next
season.
“It's also a new challenge and one I'm eager to embrace. My aim is to impress the Aston Villa supporters with my performances and I can't wait really to get started,” the former Manchester City goalkeeper concluded.
Given is very likely to make his debut in Aston Villa’s upcoming match of Barclays Asia Trophy against Walsall.
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