Villa board will decide Alpay future - agent

Alpay’s future in England will be decided by the board of Aston Villa, claims the player’s agent.

Villa’s Turkish defender has come under fire from England players and the media since returning to the country after he goaded David Beckham during the ill-tempered Euro 2004 qualifier in Istanbul on Saturday.

Alpay claims he was provoked by the England captain and will play no part in Sunday’s derby clash with Birmingham after Villa opted to give him the rest of the week off.

German outfit Hertha Berlin and Turkish giants Galatasaray have been linked with moves for the 30-year-old.

But Mujdat Gurel does not believe his player is desperate to leave England, even though he seems set for hostile receptions from English fans for his part in Saturday’s 0-0 draw which saw England earn a place in Portugal next year - and Turkey facing a two-legged play-off with Latvia.

The agent told Sky Sports News: “As long as Aston Villa want to keep him he will stay and see his contract out.

“But in football everything changes, every day, so we don’t know yet.

“I know Galatasaray’s coach (Fatih Terim) very well and have done since 1996. We’ve been together on various occasions but I’ve not spoken to him, although I’ve heard him say he (Alpay) can play for Galatasaray.

“It’s a decision which must be made by Aston Villa board members because he’s a contracted player at the moment.”

Gurel believes Alpay’s disciplinary record in this country is second to none, even though he has played fewer than 60 top-flight games for Villa since joining more than three years ago.

He continued: “He thinks he has been misunderstood for the last three years in Birmingham.

“Look at the records. He’s had no red cards in the Premier League, just 17 yellow cards I believe, and no charges of misconduct. Is this normal for a centre-back?”

The Turk is grateful to manager David O’Leary for his understanding and insists he still has a future at the club upon his return.

Gurel added: “I’ve got plenty of players from different continents – Alpay is not my only player – but he's got a good relationship with David O’Leary.

“When he went to the training ground he got a boost from his fans and came out with a smiling face and told me he was extremely happy with the treatment from his colleagues.”