Vlaar open to Villa stay

Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar said it is possible he could stay at the club once his contract expires, thanks to new manager Tim Sherwood.

Vlaar’s departure at the end of the season seemed a forgone conclusion for most of the 2014-15 campaign, with countryman and Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal reportedly interested in bringing the veteran centre-back to Old Trafford on a free transfer.

But the axing of former manager Paul Lambert in February and the arrival of Sherwood, who steered Villa to the FA Cup final at the expense of Liverpool on Sunday, has the 30-year-old Dutchman reconsidering his options.

“It is [possible I could stay]. Things have changed for me in the past few months since Sherwood took over,” Vlaar said.

“It’s been a hard season for me with all the injuries. Now I just want to play and be important for the team. Reaching the final helps – you can trust me on that.

“It [moving clubs] is not something to think about right now. This feels really great and I also feel things have changed at the club. It wasn’t so good earlier in the year, but that’s football. Things change. A new manager came in, we all felt it was a new start.

“We started to play better, the results got better. And the only thing that gives you confidence is winning games, so this win will give us another massive boost. The team spirit is really good.”