O’Neill confident Laursen will sign new deal
O’Neill is taking nothing for granted but revealed Laursen, whose current deal expires in the summer, had been “pretty receptive” to the idea of committing himself to the midlands club.
Laursen has convinced O’Neill of his fitness during the current campaign after three years of being dogged by knee problems.
And he again showed his worth in opposing penalty areas by scoring his sixth goal of the season during Saturday’s 3-1 home success over Reading which lifted Villa into sixth spot in the Premier League.
O’Neill said: “We want to do it and Martin has been pretty receptive. I cannot say for certain about anything until people actually sign a deal.
“But the fact is there would be a lot of fans at Villa, as well as myself, who would be disappointed if we didn’t do it.
“What is the chance of it happening? I couldn’t say. But he has proved himself worthy.”
O’Neill, perhaps mindful of John Carew’s two-goal contribution against Reading, again played down reports that he is set to sign Helsingborgs striker Henrik Larsson on loan.
He said: “It is news to me. That doesn’t mean Henrik Larsson isn’t a great footballer, absolutely terrific — but I have not spoken to anybody.”
Reading manager Steve Coppell insisted he will not be making any panic buys despite injuries and African Cup of Nations call-ups decimating his defence.
He said: “The only signings we will make will be for the long-term benefit of this club rather than for the next four months.”
ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Carson 6, Gardner 7, Laursen 8, Davies 7, Bouma 6, Petrov 7, Reo-Coker 7, Barry 7, Young 8 (Maloney 90, 5), Carew 8 (Salifou 90, 5), Agbonlahor 7 (Harewood 90, 5).
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Knight.
READING (4-4-2): Hahnemann 7, Murty 6, Gunnarsson 6, Ingimarsson 5, Shorey 5, De la Cruz 5 (Convey 73, 5), Harper 6, Cisse 6, Hunt 6, Kitson 7 (Lita 76, 5), Doyle 7 (Long 89, 5).
Subs Not Used: Federici, Pearce.
REFEREE: Uriah Rennie (South Yorkshire) 4: Reputation as an attention-seeker is well deserved. Unimpressive.
MATCH RATING: *** Villa’s surge up the table has been remarkable and European football is now a distinct possibility.
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