Alex McLeish has rubbished rumours that Aston Villa are ready to cash in on star striker Darren Bent in the January transfer window.
Boss admits Midlands club are trying to keep 'budgets under control'
Alex McLeish has rejected rumours that Aston Villa are ready to cash in on star striker Darren Bent in the January transfer window.
The Scot claimed the speculation regarding the club's record signing was "rubbish" and insisted the England international would remain at Villa Park as he still has more than three-and-a-half-years left on his contract.
McLeish emphasised there was no pressure at all from owner Randy Lerner to sell his big name players, despite the exit of Ashley Young to Manchester United and Stewart Downing to Liverpool in the summer.
And he maintained that rumours about Bent getting restless at Villa, which recently surfaced on internet social networking sites and message boards, were without foundation.
Nonesense
"It's utter nonsense, rubbish," he told the
Birmingham Evening Mail.
"Of course Villa fans want him to stay, but it's not worth commenting on something that was on Twitter.
"It's a phenomenon of the modern world, Twitter and Facebook, and it's not my world.
"I think you can get any story in there.
"I'm sure there's a few beauties about me - just don't tell me!"
And, when asked about his budget for January, McLeish replied: "We're not really discussing it at the moment.
"The position hasn't changed since we discussed it in the summer.
"We're still trying to keep the budgets under control.
"Wages are still astronomical, even now.
"We have to work together as a club to try and get them where the chairman wants them."
