I can fill Gareth Barry's boots says Craig Gardner

Jun 9 2009 by Lisa Smith, Birmingham Mail

Gardner, said to be attracting interest from Wigan and Blues with the view to a loan, insists he is happy to stay on and fight for his place at Villa.

“We will see what happens. I’m happy at the club,” he said

Preparing for the trip to Sweden with the Under-21s, Gardner admitted his delight at his goal and with the team’s performance.

“To be fair we’ve been training at high tempo all week and the gaffer (Staurt Pearce) just asked us to take that into the game and we did,” he said.

“There was no stopping us, we were so confident. We just can’t wait to get out there and show the rest of Europe what we’ve got.’’

The 23-year-old added: “I think everyone knows my favoured position is playing in midfield and I feel like I’ve always got a goal in me when I play there.

“I feel more comfortable playing in midfield and I get the chance to shoot a lot more. I always feel confident I can get a goal.”

Meanwhile, Villa have dismissed reports they are interested in signing Michael Owen.

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