Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock has said that former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given was right in completing his move to Aston Villa during the summer.
The former Newcastle United goalkeeper grew extremely tired of life at the Etihad stadium after being denied the opportunity to play regularly.
Even though Shay Given was the most experienced goalkeeper at Manchester City, Roberto Mancini was more persistent in using England goalkeeper Joe Hart. As a result, the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given decided to move to Aston Villa during the summer. Stephen Warnock has now praised the impact that the Republic of Ireland international has had at Villa Park.
Aston Villa had just lost a great keeper in the form of Brad Friedel to Tottenham. However, Stephen Warnock thinks that the arrival of Shay Given at Villa Park has more than compensated for this loss. Even though Shay Given is one of the best keepers in the Premier league, Aston Villa have been struggling down near the bottom of the table. They managed to alleviate any fears of relegation only this weekend after a 1-0 win over Fulham. However, Shay Given’s performances for Aston Villa this season have certainly not gone unnoticed according to defender Steven Warnock.
“It’s the pride of a footballer to come back and show people how good he is and prove people wrong. If your face fits, then great. Shay’s face didn’t fit at Manchester City at the time. But he’s come here and his face fits and we are reaping the rewards of a great buy. A lot of clubs probably looked at him but thought about his age, but I think you’ll see that he’s similar to Brad Friedel,” Stephen Warnock said praising the impact Shay Given has had at Aston Villa this season.