Martin O'Neill keeps faith in Luke Moore

Jan 3 2008 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

VILLA manager Martin O'Neill has shrugged aside claims by Luke Moore's agent that the player wants to leave and looks odds-on to stick with the young striker.

Moore started his first game in two months against Tottenham and looks likely to fill in for the injured John Carew against Manchester United in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Moore, with one league goal all season, turned down a new contract with Villa, although the club have taken up a one-year option so he cannot walk away in the summer.

O'Neill says he was unconcerned by Steve Kutner's comments that "Luke rejected the contract because he feels he needs to move on. He needs to be playing first-team football at this stage of his career."

Rangers, who almost signed him some time ago, are the latest club linked to Moore.

But O'Neill said today: "I never get overly excited by what agents say. It's not a problem - players play the games.

"The one thing about this team is that they give everything they have possibly got while they're here, so I haven't a problem with it. I'm incredibly proud of the players.

"Agents can say what they want and, generally speaking, when you ask an agent why they said something, they say they didn't say anything."