Villa warned off winger bid

Aston Villa face a battle to land David Bentley after Blackburn boss Paul Ince spoke of his determination to keep hold.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill is keen to launch an ambitious raid for the England international, but after being named the new manager of Rovers, Ince says he wants to keep hold of his star players.

O'Neill would face strong competition from Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham for Bentley but Rovers are keen to keep hold in any case.

"I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into it and I want to keep my best players, David Bentley and Santa Cruz among them," Ince said of the situation.

"We don't start (pre-season) until July 7 so I'll speak to those two players and to the rest of them and take it from there."