McLeish wants N'Zogbia to improve

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has told Charles N'Zogbia actions speak louder than words after the winger claimed he was not enjoying his football.

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N'Zogbia has had a mixed first season at Villa Park since his £9million summer move from Wigan but has been urged by McLeish to overcome his frustrations through hard work and performing consistently.

N'Zogbia let his emotions spill over after Sunday's 2-1 defeat at his former club Newcastle by writing on Twitter that he was not enjoying his football "for the first time in my career". McLeish said: "I've said it before, that Twitter and the social networks is not a world familiar to me."

He added: "Years ago, players would have hammered down the manager's door when they were frustrated rather than letting their feelings known on the internet.

"But it amounts to the same thing in that you just can't tell people you are frustrated, you have to do something about it by consistently playing well.

"If Charles is not enjoying his football, then he needs to do something about it on the pitch - and that applies to everyone and not just Charles N'Zogbia.

"It is not a coincidence the best moment Charles has had in a Villa shirt have come when he has been working hard - and that's when you get the best rewards in anything."

Meanwhile, McLeish confirmed Villa are considering yoga as a way of helping striker Gabriel Agbonlahor overcome his back and hamstring injury problems.

He said: "It is something we will be talking about with the doctor and fitness coach to see whether Gabby is going to embark on yoga. One or two players already do it here."

Fans plan protest against McLeish

Aston Villa supporters are being urged to attend a proposed pre-match protest against manager Alex McLeish ahead of Sunday's home clash with Manchester City.

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A statement posted on the 'Vital Villa' (VV) fans' website claims the current record of six wins in 24 Barclays Premier League games is "relegation form." It also claims the Villa players are "seeming to be in open revolt" following Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Newcastle.

The statement reads: "We have played 24 games this season, we have won six! Is this good enough? No. This is relegation form. Alex McLeish is not the man to lead Aston Villa."

The statement added: "He had a full pre-season, was given £20million (approximately) to spend and has players of the calibre of Darren Bent, Gabby Agbonlahor and Stephen Ireland to work with (also the most promising batch of home-grown players produced in years).

"Despite all this, we find ourselves 13th in the table and without a home win since Bonfire Night (November 5). Now after the debacle of Sunday, with the players now seeming to be in open revolt, the future is looking very bleak indeed.

"We need to act now before it is too late and the unthinkable happens. If you support this, please join us 3pm on Sunday, Trinity Road Stand by the McGregor Statue. If you don't then please ignore this."

Some sections of supporters were unhappy when McLeish made the switch from local rivals Birmingham to replace Gerard Houllier last summer. But it remains to be seen whether there will be substantial tangible support for the proposed protest on Sunday.

Villa sold Ashley Young and Stewart Downing for a combined £35million to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively last summer. They spent around £17million in signing Charles N'Zogbia, Shay Given and Alan Hutton plus Jermaine Jenas on loan from Tottenham.

McLeish was aware of the constraints he was under and often admitted he has been instructed to reduce the "astronomical" wage bill by club owner Randy Lerner.

The former Rangers boss has also conceded this is a season of transition for the midlands club but remains convinced he is the right man at the helm to eventually revive Villa's fortunes.

McLeish unhappy with Van Persie

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish called on the Football Association to take a look at a stray elbow from Arsenal captain Robin van Persie after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup at Emirates Stadium despite leading 2-0 at half-time.

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Two Van Persie penalties either side of a fortuitous Theo Walcott goal helped the Gunners erase first-half goals from Richard Dunne and Darren Bent and set up a last-16 meeting with Sunderland or Middlesbrough, but McLeish was unhappy with another incident to do with Arsenal's top scorer.

He felt the Dutchman had caught defender Carlos Cuellar as they jumped for a high ball in the 64th minute. He said: "I thought it was a clear elbow, but the referee did not seem to think there was anything in it."

McLeish added: "Would I like the FA to look at it? Yes, if it was an elbow in the face - look at my nose, it is a result of elbows all my career. It is something which is dangerous.

"I never mentioned it to the referee. I saw it in real time. I don't like to point the finger at players, but it has happened to mine enough times."

Should it transpire referee Mike Jones witnessed the incident at the time, then no retrospective action can be taken by the disciplinary authorities.

McLeish believes his side had given themselves every chance of progressing before Arsenal mounted their fightback.

He said: "I am very disappointed we did not see it out and it is a missed opportunity. The fans will be gutted at seeing us let that lead slip away. We have to learn from this and try to obtain that winning mentality."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, praised the character of his side, who have lost three successive Barclays Premier League games to lose ground on the top four.

He said: "I was very impressed because I felt that when you come out of a bad period like we are, and you are 2-0 down, you can feel sorry for yourself or you can show you have the mental qualities to play for this club. I was very proud the team came out playing on all cylinders and showed they are not ready to lie down."

Arsenal fightback stuns Villa

Robin van Persie netted twice from the penalty spot as Arsenal came from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium and book their place in the FA Cup fifth round.

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Richard Dunne and Darren Bent had put the visitors in command at the break but the Gunners were given a lifeline at the start of the second half when Dunne upended Aaron Ramsey, and Van Persie coolly dispatched the resulting spot-kick.

Within two minutes, Theo Walcott had levelled via a fortunate ricochet and then another penalty from their captain completed the turnaround to send Arsene Wenger's men through to the last 16 against Sunderland or Middlesbrough.

The visitors took the lead on 33 minutes. A well-worked corner saw Stiliyan Petrov's backheel release Robbie Keane, who floated the ball through the Arsenal six-yard box where Dunne got up above a static defence to power in a header.

Arsenal looked for an immediate response, with Shay Given needing two attempts to gather a low shot from Tomas Rosicky. Ramsey ghosted into from the left, and was blocked at the near post by Given.

The Villa stopper then beat away Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's low, 20-yard strike, before the visitors broke away to make it 2-0 just before half-time. Stephen Ireland fed Bent and his angled drive was parried away by Lukasz Fabianski, but the England striker was first to the loose ball and slotted it in from the tightest of angles.

Arsenal had regrouped during the interval and were quickly back on the offensive as Per Mertesacker's header from a corner was cleared off the line by Ireland.

The Gunners were awarded a penalty on 54 minutes as Dunne upended Ramsey after he latched onto Alex Song's through-ball. Van Persie made no mistake from the spot, sending Given the wrong way as he slotted into the bottom-left corner, to give the tie new life.

Within two minutes, Arsenal were level. Walcott darted into the right side of the Villa penalty area and stabbed the ball across the goal-line, where Alan Hutton smashed his clearance back against the England forward and it ricocheted into the net.

And when Laurent Koscielny burst down the left and into the edge of the Villa box, he was caught from behind by Bent and again referee Mike Jones pointed to the spot. Van Persie stepped up once more, this time putting the ball into the bottom right corner for goal number 25 of the season to complete the turnaround on the hour.

Decision on Heskey set for summer

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish will address the future of Emile Heskey in the summer and hinted the veteran striker's form will have a bearing on his decision.

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Heskey, who has been linked with a move to former club Leicester, will return to the Villa squad for Sunday's FA Cup clash at Arsenal after a spell on the sidelines with an Achilles problem.

The current contract of the former England player runs out in May, and McLeish said: "We realise that this is a transitional period at the club so it is not right for us to make any quick decisions. The overall position is that we'll review things at the end of the season."

He added: "It's up to guys like big Emile to produce a few good performances between now and the end of the season by banging in a few goals, getting a few assists, and then we can address it at that time.

"From what I've seen in training this morning, I would certainly say he will continue to give everything. Emile is a guy who gives everything and does everything he can for the team.

"Will he go back to Leicester in the summer? I haven't got a clue."

Heskey continued to make himself available for selection despite the Achilles setback until it became too serious to continue.

McLeish said: "We've just been kind of managing him and allowing him to make an impact as a sub or for a certain amount of time in games.

"It just became a bit intolerable for him but he's had a few scans and injections. He's fit to play."

Agbonlahor: Don't waste your time

Gabriel Agbonlahor has pledged his future to Aston Villa and the England striker warned other clubs they would be wasting their time trying to prise him away.

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Agbonlahor has put a difficult 12 months under the then Villa manager Gerard Houllier behind him and been revitalised this season under Alex McLeish.

The Academy product has netted seven goals so far during the current campaign and believes his commitment to Villa means any would-be Premier League predators shy away from making official bids, and said: "I think other clubs know how much I love playing for Villa. I don't think there's ever been a bid for me."

He added: "They know this is a club I want to stay at and it's somewhere it would be hard to get me to leave.

"It's the same at other clubs who have players who are that club through and through - like Steven Gerrard at Liverpool.

"They don't put bids in for us because they know we won't leave."

Agbonlahor admits it is inevitable top players, like his Villa and England strike partner Darren Bent, will be linked with other clubs during the transfer window.

Bent has been the subject of speculation involving Liverpool, although the club's record signing has made it clear he wants to remain at Villa.

Agbonlahor said: "To be fair to Darren, he's just got on with his football, got another goal last week, and all he can do is concentrate on his games here.

"It's crazy the number of transfer rumours you see. If you listen to rumours, we'd be buying 10 players. Liverpool are maybe looking for another striker with Luis Suarez banned so top-quality players are going to be linked with them."

Villa examine N'Zogbia problem

Aston Villa winger Charles N'Zogbia is set to see a specialist as he seeks to get to the root of a troublesome heel injury.

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N'Zogbia has missed Villa's last three matches, with his last appearance coming in the 2-0 home defeat to Swansea on January 2.

With Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Arsenal looming, manager Alex McLeish said: "Charles will see a specialist [on Wednesday] because he still has pain in his right heel."

He added: "We'll await the results of that before we make a decision on whether he will be involved."

At this stage it is appearing likely Gabriel Agbonlahor, Stephen Ireland and Emile Heskey will all be fit for the game at the Emirates Stadium.

Ireland and Heskey both missed Saturday's 3-2 win at Wolves with hamstring and Achilles injuries, whilst Agbonlahor was taken ill in that game resulting in him being substituted at half-time.

Speaking to the official Villa website, McLeish added: "Gabby is okay and trained [on Tuesday] after a bout of illness which forced him to come off against Wolves.

"Emile has responded well to treatment on his Achilles and he will train later in the week, so he has a chance of making it.

"We're very positive on Stephen and hopefully he will be back training with the group later in the week too."

McLeish expects Warnock response

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish is tipping axed left-back Stephen Warnock to bounce back "stronger than ever" after dropping the England defender for the weekend win at Wolves.

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He had been an ever present in the opening 21 Barclays Premier League games this season but a recent dip in form meant he was left out at Molineux to "gather his thoughts."

McLeish, who brought Warnock on at half-time in a reshuffle, said: "Hats off to Stevie on Saturday, he was left out and was excellent. It's not easy getting left out and having to come on. If he had something to prove, he did that."

He added: "I'm paid to make difficult decisions. Stevie in recent weeks has maybe dipped a bit. He'd played every game and been through a traumatic time last season.

"There are loads of reasons why a players' form can dip but Stephen is a great pro.

"Stephen is one of best trainers at the club. He trains every day as if that is a real game. I've always loved that from players. It's the way I trained.

"Stevie is a great example of that but it was just about gathering his thoughts, having a wee think about things and sometimes it doesn't do any harm.

"It happened to me in my career and I came back stronger than ever."

McLeish wants to keep Villa stars

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish admits it is 'very unlikely' he will let any of his players leave during the current transfer window which ends a fortnight on Tuesday.

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Villa striker and record signing Darren Bent has been constantly linked with a move to Liverpool, while central defender James Collins has been the subject of speculation involving QPR and Sunderland. But McLeish is not actively striving to make changes under the sell-to-buy policy he has to adopt and has faith in his current set of players.

"Am I wanting to do (transfer) business? I am not pushing. I am not in any hurry to lose any of my players," said McLeish.

"Only if it was an attractive proposition would we do anything so it's very unlikely we would let any of our players go.

"I am happy with my squad. Like every other manager in the world, we're all greedy for players. If we had our way, we'd probably have 100 players at our disposal.

"But I certainly think it's a strong squad, a lot of young players who have learnt a lot over the past few months, and that augurs well as we go into the second half of the season."

McLeish is mindful of club owner Randy Lerner's desire to manage and reduce the current wage bill.

He said: "We are still steering a ship in terms of managing the wages. Randy is adamant about that and I agreed to work for the club on that basis.

"We are steering towards a wage stability and we're still heading in that direction. I have agreed to the parameters and the way that the club wants to be run. We will keep doing that."

Ireland feels positive

Stephen Ireland believes he is close to recapturing his best form and has thanked Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish for the 'trust' shown in him.

Midfielder Ireland has been given another chance at the midlands club, after a disappointing first term, and is reaping the benefits of his first elongated spell of games.

Ireland defied an early dead leg to be chosen as the club's official man of the match for the 1-1 home draw with Everton with fans chanting his name. He said: "I feel I'm ready to show my best form now. I'm getting fitter and you get that with a consistent run."

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He added: "In the majority of games, I would be feeling like I was coming off no matter how well I was doing.

"I guess that was because I haven't been given the trust. Probably since I first got here, I haven't been given that trust - but I have now thanks to the gaffer.

"I'm in a good place. I'm working as hard as I can, I'm improving game by game and the more confidence I get, the better."

Ireland admitted: "It's a question as well of getting on the same wavelength as some of the other players.

"At Manchester City, I could play passes because I knew where everyone else was but at the moment I need to get on the same wavelength as the others.

"I feel like I'm going in the right direction and the more football I get, it will improve."

Aston Villa V Everton at Villa Park : Match Preview

Villa Boss Alex McLeish is hoping the signing of striker Robbie Keane can act as an inspiration to the other Aston Villa players ahead of the home Barclays Premier League clash with Everton.

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Keane is included in the Villa squad after signing on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy until the end of February.

McLeish is refusing to reveal whether the Republic of Ireland international will start but has no doubt he will have a positive influence at Villa.

He said: "In terms of the impact Robbie will have, he will have a great effect.

"His experience and knowledge in the dressing room should be worth its weight in gold. "In my playing career, bringing players into a club of that ilk was a case of not only looking for individuals to do well but looking for others to be inspired.

"Hopefully Robbie can push others to play their best football and I also think there's no bigger threat than someone coming in to take your place.

"I am sure the fans will enjoy seeing Robbie in a Villa jersey. We will just have to wait and see when that is.

"Robbie could make his debut but I am not going to reveal my starting line-up at the moment." McLeish will hope Keane can help Villa put an end to a run of four successive home defeats if he is involved against the Toffees.

He said: "Desperate is a word I don't like to use but the home form certainly is something we want to put right. "We have lost to three of the elite clubs and Swansea beat us after we got a great result at Chelsea which was a real kick in the backside.

"It's up to us. I do feel we have been punished for every little mistake at home. But the one thing we have to concentrate on is concentration.

"I feel sometimes we can have little lapses and two against Swansea cost us two goals.

We have to concentrate from start to finish as we did against Stoke, Arsenal and Chelsea."

Goalkeeper Shay Given is available after a six-week lay-off with a hamstring problem but defender Carlos Cuellar (thigh) and midfielder Chris Herd (ankle) are still ruled out.

Some advice from Manchester United team-mate and former Toffees striker Wayne Rooney helped convince new Everton midfielder Darron Gibson to move to Goodison Park.

Frustration at not getting first-team chances at Old Trafford played a significant part but the 24-year-old said after speaking to the England international - and then Everton duo Phil Neville and Tim Cahill - his mind was made up.

"I was speaking to Wayne about it a bit and after that and coming to see the facilities it was an easy decision," Gibson, who is in the squad to face Aston Villa, told local radio reporters. "He told me it was a great club and he really enjoyed his time and the people here.

"Having a word with him and people like Tim Cahill and Phil Neville convinced me to come."

Gibson has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract for a reported fee of £1million, rising to £2million on appearances. He made 60 appearances in six years at United but knew he had little future at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson decided to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement.

The 37-year-old, who quit the game last season, was brought back on a short-term deal to provide cover for an injury-stricken midfield and came off the bench in last weekend's 3-2 FA Cup third round victory at Manchester City.

"I was very frustrated [at Manchester United]. It was hard for me at times," the Republic of Ireland international added.

"I think when I did get a chance I did well and obviously I was getting left out afterwards and I was playing one or two games here and there.

"When Scholesy came back the manager told me I was free to go. "Everton had shown some interest a month before hand and the gaffer (David Moyes) wanted me in so it went from there.

"It was very frustrating but I think it was the right time for me to move on and I'm looking forward to my time here.

"I'm really looking forward to kicking on now." Sylvain Distin (hamstring) and Phil Jagielka (knee) are still sidelined so Shane Duffy, who only made his first league appearance as a substitute in the midweek defeat at Tottenham, could start.

Keane hopes to emulate Henry

Robbie Keane is hoping he can make the same impact at Aston Villa as Thierry Henry on his return to Arsenal after joining the midlands club on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Henry marked his return to the Gunners by netting the winner against Leeds in Monday's FA Cup tie at the Emirates Stadium. Keane has linked up with Villa until the end of February and is in contention to play in Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash at Everton.

The 31-year-old said: "Can I do a Thierry Henry? I hope so. It would be great to do that."

He added: "It was written that he was always going to come back and score on his return to Arsenal.

"Good luck to him, he is obviously a legend at Arsenal. If I can do something like that in the six (league) games, and help the team, that is great."

Keane is aiming to start against the Toffees after two weeks full training with former club Tottenham and now Villa. He said: "Of course, every player wants to be starting, I'm no different. I'll be trying my best to make a big impact and help the team push forward up the table.

"If I can pass my experience and knowledge on to the younger players and help this team, then great."

Keane came close to joining Villa 13 years ago from Wolves only for a late transfer hitch saw him instead head to Coventry.

He said: "It was fairly close. There were talks going on and then I joined Coventry. There has been speculation between me and Villa over the years.

"Every transfer window, it seems to talks about me signing for Villa. I never ever came really close to be honest. But I'm here now and want to do well."

Keane completes Villa loan switch

Robbie Keane has ended his 13-year wait to become an Aston Villa player after joining the midlands club on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy.

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The Republic of Ireland international was on the verge of joining Villa in 1999 from Wolves only for a late hitch over the transfer fee to see him move to Coventry instead.

But the 31-year-old has agreed to move to Villa Park until Major League Soccer restarts in March and will stage a media conference this lunch-time.

Villa received the final paperwork from the Galaxy giving the green light to the move during the early hours of this morning.

Keane could face an instant reunion with his Galaxy team-mate Landon Donovan in Saturday's home Barclays Premier League clash with Everton. Donovan has linked up with the Toffees for a second loan period.

It is also a case of second time lucky for Villa boss Alex McLeish regarding the capture of Keane. McLeish was hopeful of signing Keane 12 months ago when in charge of Birmingham who announced they had agreed a £6 million fee with Tottenham.

But the player instead went on loan to West Ham before leaving White Hart Lane for the United States last summer.

McLeish said: "We have been pursuing Robbie to bring him in with his extra experience in terms of the attack.

"I believe we could be doing with that when you see one or two of our players getting injured over the last couple of weeks. It does leave us a little bit short.

"We've got young kids trying to prove themselves in the Barclays Premier League but it's very scatter-gun the experience they are getting with 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. I really believe we could be doing with that wee bit of experience that someone like Robbie provides."

Villa set to complete Keane loan

Robbie Keane's loan move to Aston Villa looks set to be completed on Thursday.

The Republic of Ireland international is expected to join the Barclays Premier League side on a two-month loan deal from Los Angeles Galaxy.

The 31-year-old was on the verge of joining Villa from Wolves in 1999, only for a late hitch over the transfer to result in a move to Coventry instead.

Keane could face an instant reunion with Galaxy team-mate Landon Donovan in Saturday's home game with Everton.

Donovan has linked up with the Toffees for a second loan period and Keane's capture would also be a case of second time lucky for Villa boss Alex McLeish.

McLeish was confident of signing Keane 12 months ago when in charge of Birmingham, who agreed a £6million fee with Tottenham, but Keane went on loan to West Ham instead.

Given sees benefits of Keane loan

Fit again keeper Shay Given believes Aston Villa will reap the benefits if they sign his Republic of Ireland team-mate Robbie Keane for a loan spell from Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Keane's move to Villa for two months on loan is expected to be completed today and in time for him to be under consideration for Saturday's home clash with Everton. Given, who is back in training after his five week lay-off with a hamstring injury, is confident Keane can still be a threat at Barclays Premier League level.

He said: said: "It's great for Villa to secure a player of Robbie's calibre, even in the short term. I didn't know how fit he was before the last couple of days in training but he looks really sharp, to be honest."

He added: "We're all delighted that he's here and I think he's just given the whole dressing room a lift.

"He's a big personality and he's a big-game player. I think even in training the lads have been very impressed with what they've seen."

Given added: "Some of the young lads here can learn from a guy like Robbie Keane. It's fantastic for them. I think the younger players will look up to him and learn from him.

"I also think he will cause Premier League defences plenty of problems when's given a chance to play. If you give him a chance, then nine times out of 10 he'll take it."

Given admits he faces a fight to regain his place after the form shown by his deputy, Brad Guzan, since he suffered the hamstring injury against Manchester United in early December.

He said: "I don't know what the manager's thoughts are, whether I will be in the squad to face Everton or not.

"I want to try and get back in as soon as I can and hopefully it will happen on Saturday. But every player has to fight for his place, however, and Brad has done a great job in my absence."

Villa optimistic over Keane loan

Aston Villa remain optimistic Los Angeles Galaxy striker Robbie Keane will join them on loan although the deal is unlikely to be completed on Tuesday, Press Association Sport understands.

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The Republic of Ireland international is poised to join Villa for two months and is already training with the midlands club.

But the eight-hour time difference between Birmingham and Los Angeles means any announcement will probably happen on Wednesday after the expected completion of the paperwork.

Villa boss Alex McLeish would like Keane to be available for Saturday's home Barclays Premier League clash with Everton.

Sources close to the club are confident a temporary deal for Keane will still go through.

Keane has indicated he wants to join Villa and is conscious of retaining his match sharpness before rejoining Galaxy in March with the Euro 2012 finals in June.

Villa midfielder Barry Bannan would welcome Keane's arrival.

He said: "If you are getting players like that, it is good for the club. Our squad is pretty young and having another wise head alongside the likes of Richard Dunne is only going to help us as a group.

"Robbie has been around for ages and has played at the top level."

Keane's expected arrival is well timed with fellow striker Emile Heskey sidelined for up to a month with an Achilles injury.

Keane trains with Villa

Robbie Keane trained with Aston Villa on Monday ahead of his expected loan move from Los Angeles Galaxy.

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The 31-year-old Republic of Ireland striker was shown training with his future team-mates in a video on Villa's official website as he waits to complete his return to the Barclays Premier League on a short-term deal.

Villa boss Alex McLeish revealed after the club's FA Cup third-round victory over Bristol Rovers on Saturday he expected to soon wrap up the signing of the former Tottenham man, with only red tape holding up the deal.

Keane is expected to join on a two-month loan deal during the MLS off-season.

If the paperwork is completed in time Keane could make his debut against Everton on Saturday, where he will come up against his Galaxy team-mate Landon Donovan, who is on loan at Goodison Park.

McLeish: Reds are not chasing Bent

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has revealed that Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish told him he is not interested in signing Darren Bent.

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McLeish was speaking after watching his side reach the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 victory at Bristol Rovers. England striker Bent, 27, who joined Villa from Sunderland a year ago, has been linked with a move away, with Liverpool reportedly among the favourites, and he played in Saturday night's win at the Memorial Stadium.

McLeish has insisted that the player will not be sold, and said: "If there is anybody out there that wants him they certainly haven't contacted me and Darren has said on the record he wants to stay at the club. Whenever I have asked anyone outside the club I've been told flatly 'No'. I have spoken to Kenny and he said there was nothing in it."

However, the former Birmingham manager, who is also hopeful of completing a short-term loan deal for Los Angeles Galaxy striker Robbie Keane within the next 48 hours despite what he described as "red tape" holding up the move, says that no-one he has spoken to, including Dalglish, has expressed an interest in Bent.

Of the continued speculation surrounding Bent, McLeish added: "It's not frustrating, it's just the transfer window.

"People like to speculate and use social networking sites and they are having a field day."

Villa's passage into the fourth round proved reasonably straightforward, although they did have to come through a late wobble before sealing victory.

But the win came at a cost for Villa as striker Emile Heskey and defender James Collins were forced off with injuries. McLeish expects Heskey to be out for three to four weeks after a recurrence of his Achilles problem.

McLeish said: "Emile has had an ongoing Achilles problem we have tried to manage, but tonight the medical staff have told me he has to rest for three or four weeks, so we will have to see how that goes.

"He has broke down a few times and it means you have to make an early substitution against the plan you had in the first place."

Gray: Bent owes Villa loyalty

Former Aston Villa striker Andy Gray says it will be "insulting to the fans and the club" if record signing Darren Bent looks to quit during the January transfer window.

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Bent has been the subject of speculation linking him with a move to Liverpool even though the striker and Villa boss Alex McLeish have insisted he is going nowhere. Gray believes Bent needs to show loyalty to Villa and has to start producing the goal-power which has failed to match last season's achievements.

Gray, writing in his Birmingham Sunday Mercury column, said: "Talk about Darren Bent seeking a new challenge away from Villa Park in the January transfer window is not right in my opinion."

He added: "It has only been a year since Darren signed for big bucks from Sunderland and moved to Villa.

"Sorry, he shouldn't be thinking of going elsewhere. It's insulting to the fans and the club.

"My advice to Darren would be to just get on with it this season because he hasn't been his usual prolific self and he owes Villa more times and more goals, that's for sure."

Gray added: "Darren signed a four-and-a-half-year deal and Villa will undoubtedly be paying him a lot of money for his services.

"Just because things aren't going completely your way at the moment, that is no reason to start sulking and thinking about upping sticks.

"He needs to keep his head up, start scoring more goals. He needs to stop thinking about leaving.

"The club has had a difficult season and it has not been helped by a lack of goals from Darren."

McLeish keen on Keane

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has confirmed his interest in signing LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane on loan.

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McLeish believes the chances of it happening are "more than 50-50", but with Keane only available until the Major Soccer League restarts in March, he admitted any deal will have to be done by the start of next week for the move to go through.

McLeish said: "We are having a look at it with Robbie and trying to pursue it. That is the latest although nothing is done and dusted yet."

He added: "If we don't know by Monday, then it probably will not be done. That's why I don't want to say too much in case it doesn't happen.

"We are certainly pursuing it and at the moment, both parties are keen. I would say the chances are a bit better than 50-50."

McLeish has again insisted record signing, striker Darren Bent, is not for sale as speculation continues to link him with a move to Liverpool.

Bent, Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner and McLeish had all previously said Bent was going nowhere.

McLeish said: "We've not heard a thing from Liverpool. I'm aware of the speculation. But there has been no contact with this club and I think you've had three parties telling you that.

But, even if there was contact, we would not entertain that (selling Bent).

"We wouldn't want to entertain selling our top scorer of last season. He is a prolific marksman."