Source: Team_Talk
Bannan wants chance to impress
arry Bannan is desperate to fill the void left by Ashley Young and Stewart Downing at Aston Villa, where he wants to become a "main fixture".[LNB] After establishing themselves as key players at the Midlands club, both Young and Downing departed this summer for Manchester United and Liverpool respectively. [LNB]Bannan broke into the Villa first team at the beginning of last season but finished the campaign on loan at Leeds after falling out of former manager Gerard Houllier's plans. [LNB]However, after some words of encouragement from England international Young, the 21-year-old is hoping to prove his worth under new boss Alex McLeish this season. [LNB]Bannan told the Sunday People: "When I was getting frustrated and not playing, Ash sang my praises highly and just told me to keep going, because it happened to him when he was young at Watford.[LNB]"He got released and he had to go in and just train for nothing, and he was saying to me, 'I've been a lot lower than you, your time will come'.[LNB]"Ash had a knockback - and it was probably a bigger one than I had - and look where he is now.[LNB]"There were a couple of setbacks for me last season, but you'll get that in football and I'm just trying to look positively at this season. Hopefully I'll be a main fixture in the team.[LNB]"It was starting to get frustrating for me last season and that's why I went out on loan.[LNB]"It had started off really well for me, I'd had 12 starts or something, so looking back it was a good season all in all, but I would have liked to have finished it stronger than I did because I had to go on loan.[LNB]"But it's a new season so all that is put to the back of my head now and I'm just looking forward and concentrating on trying to impress."[LNB]Bannan says he took lessons from being around Young and Downing last season. [LNB]He added: "I played every day with those two last year and every day you're learning.[LNB]"Now it's a fresh start for everyone with the new gaffer. You've got chances to impress again and he's not holding any grudges.[LNB]"I'm just looking forward to trying to work my way into the team - and every chance I get I'm going to take."
