Keeping star players crucial, says Hendrie

Lee Hendrie has urged Aston Villa to secure the long term future of midfielder Gareth Barry and record signing Juan Pablo Angel “if we want to get bigger as a club”.

Hendrie is surprised that Villa have not moved quicker to offer new contracts to 18-goal leading scorer Angel and former England Under-21 captain Barry.

The duo have only just over a season to run of their current deals which will run out in the summer of 2005.

Hendrie feels that the uncertainty over Barry’s future is “playing on the mind” of the former Brighton trainee.

He said: “It is vital to keep hold of Juan Pablo and Gareth. If we are going to progress, we need to keep players like that. We need players like them if we are to get bigger as a club.

“Normally when a player has two years left of his contract, the club is saying ‘let’s get you signed on a deal’ but Villa have a history of leaving it late.

“It’s a shock really. The gaffer wants them signed up. Juan Pablo has done so well this season and been banging the goals in for fun.”

Hendrie admitted: “I am surprised that top teams have not come in for Gareth, who is an England international and was one of, if not our best player last season.

“That is when you start to think ‘we need to get him signed up’. This season the contract thing is playing on his mind. What does he do?

“We had the same last season with Darius Vassell before he eventually signed a new contract and I think it unsettled him a bit.

“There is nothing better than signing a contract and knowing you have got security for four or five years and then you can concentrate on playing football.”