Old Firm switch unlikely - Aitlen

Aston Villa number two Roy Aitken admits he would love to see Scotland’s Old Firm pitched into week-in, week-out battle with the Premiership’s big guns.

On the day that Celtic chairman Dermot Desmond renewed his calls for his club and Glasgow rivals Rangers to be given a chance to prove themselves in England’s top flight, former Bhoys midfielder Aitken maintained that they would thrive, although acknowledged that their chances of doing so may be small.

“My days in Scotland are still at the forefront of my mind and I regret that I can’t see the Old Firm being allowed to play in the Premiership in the foreseeable future,” said Aitken, who played more than 600 games in the famous green and white hoops.

“The move is unlikely because the Premiership is a thriving concern without Celtic and Rangers.

“It would be great for them because the Old Firm are big clubs who are fit to grace any league.”

Aitken has been reunited with former Leeds boss David O’Leary at Villa Park and is busy planning for the new season.

However, both men were in Seville at the end of last season for Celtic’s heartbreaking 3-2 UEFA Cup Final defeat by Porto, and the Scot admitted that his trip was as much pleasure as work.

“It was the tug of the heart strings as much as a coach’s trip abroad to do his homework,” he told the club’s official website, www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk.

“But wherever you go you pick up knowledge, and I’ve been fortunate to have worked with men such as David O’Leary, Terry Venables, Peter Reid, Brian Kidd and Eddie Gray.”