O'Neill Desperately Wants Laursen To Stay

Danish centre-back looks like staying at Aston Villa, where the club have made it lear how much they want him.

Villa manager, Martin O'Neill - who is being linked with a bid for Spurs striker Jermain Defoe this month - wants to remove any uncertainty over Laursen's future.

The Ulsterman wants Laursen's contract situation to be resolved as quickly as possible, and believes the 30-year-old Dane's outstanding form this season has earned him a lucrative new deal.

Laursen, who joined Villa from AC Milan in 2004, was still being plagued by a knee injury when O'Neill was appointed as Villa manager in August 2006, and as a result his first team appearances were restricted to just 27 in his first three seasons at Villa Park.

But he has been ever present so far in this campaign, and also chipped in with an invaluable six goals.

Not surprisingly, O'Neill admitted that it would be a big blow for Villa if Laursen opted to leave the club when his current contract expires at the end of this season.

"We are desperate to keep him, have done everything we possibly can, and want to come to an agreement," O'Neill said.

"Aston Villa fans, just the same as ourselves - all the backroom staff - want him to stay. He is a great lad but more than that he has the heart the size of a lion."

The Villa boss admits that when he first took over at the club, he wondered whether Laursen's best days were already behind him.

"You would have been hard pressed to find anyone to believe Martin would have made the impact that he has done for Villa this season," said O'Neill.

"But that is down to him although I think the medical staff have also helped him as well."

O'Neill added: "This has had nothing to do anymore with him having to prove himself in terms of staying free from injury and he has played three times a week consistently.

"Anyone can get injured at any given moment, but he has proved himself and deserves a new contract."

Meanwhile, Defoe is reported to have held talks with O'Neill after being told he can leave Tottenham by manager Juande Ramos.

Spurs want £10million for Defoe, which could be a stumbling block, but O'Neill is anxious to boost his attacking options because Luke Moore has rejected Villa's offer of a new contract, while Norwegian John Carew has been injury-prone.

Villa also have ex-West Ham striker Marlon Harewood in their squad, although he has not made an impact at Villa Park as yet.

Barry: Capello's Presence Could Unsettle Villa

New England boss Fabio Capello flies into the UK today and will head straight to Birmingham for this evening's FA Cup showdown between Aston Villa and Manchester United.

All eyes will be on the Italian as he watches his first live match in England since taking the Three Lions job. But one man who won't be glad to see him at Villa Park is Villans captain Gareth Barry.

The England international believes Capello's presence might put hotly-tipped youngster Gabriel Agbonlahor off his game - and when you're playing United in a knockout competition, more pressure is one thing you certainly don't need.

"It is another distraction and not good that it has come out the day before a cup game," said Barry. "As a young player it can put different pressures on you and that is my main concern having experienced it myself in my younger days.

"I have heard Gabby's name being mentioned and I am not sure that is a good thing for him. He is a young player coming through and it is extra pressure, but I am sure if a good performance is put in by him he will be delighted.

"Gabby's character is not really to worry too much but it is another thing that can get in a player's head which he could do without."

Strong English Presence

Manchester United certainly have their fair share of English players that Capello will also be keeping tabs on, but Barry believes that Aston Villa has a vital role to play in England set-ups of the future.

Alongside himself and Agbonlahor, Martin O'Neill has a wealth of English talent in his team, including Ashley Young, Scott Carson, Nigel Reo-Coker, Curtis Davies and Zat Knight.

"I am sure there are going to be changes and players are looking to impress," said Barry. "Villa is a great option for the England manager. There were three of us in the last squad and several more hopeful of trying to impress."

Capello's first game in charge of England will be in February against Switzerland.

O'Neill: We Were Capable Of Beating United

Martin O'Neill felt his side deserved better against Manchester United in Saturday's FA Cup game.

United won 2-0 thanks to late strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney to continue their magnificent record at Villa Park.

"It seems as if they just turn up here, we play as well as we can but they go home either with the points in a league game or victory in an FA Cup match," lamented O'Neill to BBC Sport.

Replay

"I don't think that we deserved to lose the game, but by the same token I'm not saying we did enough ourselves to win the match.

"I thought the game was heading for a replay and I'm sure Manchester United would probably have accepted that.

"But we made a mistake ourselves which has been very costly," commented O'Neill on United's opener, in which a Ryan Giggs ball was allowed to squeeze past the Villa back four and into the path of the waiting Ronaldo.

"The second goal was immaterial really - we were trying to charge forward trying to get an equalising goal and they hit us on the break."

Records Don't Matter

O'Neill furthered that he wasn't intimidated by United's record against Villa - all that concerns him is what has happened during his reign at the club. And though they lost once again, then Ulsterman reckons they gave a much better account of themselves than in previous encounters.

"Today I thought we were capable of changing it," he said. "I actually thought we didn't start too badly, but we didn't put them under enough pressure in terms of shots on goal. Right throughout the whole game I thought we were capable of winning it. Manchester United are a top class side, they've got great players and experienced players, but at half time we were well in the game.

"We're making progress, there's no doubt about that and we've got some big league games to come," continued O'Neill. "But I love this competition... I've never won it and it's bypassed us for another year."