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Ron Vlaar says his future could still be at Aston Villa after all because “things have changed” since Tim Sherwood took over as manager.
The Dutch central defender’s contract runs out in the summer and the 30-year-old had at one point been expected to join up with his former international manager, Louis van Gaal, at Manchester United at the end of the season.
A knee injury appears to have put a stop to that, and while Vlaar admitted things were “not good” under former manager Paul Lambert, he is one of a number of Villa players revitalised since Sherwood took over in February.
Speaking after the team’s 2-1 FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday, Vlaar said: “Yes, it is [possible I could stay]. Things have changed for me in the past few months since Sherwood took over. 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.”
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Veteran goalkeeper Shay Given, who played with Sherwood at Blackburn Rovers in the mid-Nineties, added: “He ran the changing room then and you could tell he was going to be a manager. He is a leader and his personality is such that in football he is a real positive person and somebody you want to be around. That rubs off when it comes to the football as well.
“Tim wants to prove to the critics he is a good manager. He is making steps now and people are taking notice.”
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