With American Brad Guzan firmly entrenched in the goalkeeper role at Villa Park, veteran Shay Given is hoping the January transfer window brings him some reprieve.
“When you’ve played virtually every game throughout your career it’s difficult” the 37-year-old told The Sun. “Especially when you think you should still be playing. I’m disappointed I’m not involved and I’ll just train hard until January and hope something comes up.”
Given has 440 Premier League appearances under his belt for Newcastle, Manchester City, Blackburn, and Aston Villa and hopes his experience will help him land a role that he believes he can still fill at a high level.
The Irishman has fallen down to third in the depth chart at Villa Park behind Guzan and promising youngster Jed Steer.
Given started 32 Premier League matches last season for Villa, but when manager Paul Lambert signed Steer in the summer, he specifically pointed out the need to challenge his incumbent for the spot.
“You want competition for places throughout the team, which is something we didn’t have last season” said Lambert back in June.
