Shay Given has called on Aston Villa to offer Carlos Cuellar a contract extension after being impressed by the Spaniard's form this season.
Villa keeper keen to see defender pen fresh terms
Shay Given has called on Aston Villa to offer Carlos Cuellar a contract extension after being impressed by the Spaniard's form this season.
The versatile defender will see his current deal with Villa expire at the end of the season.
Talks regarding fresh terms have been opened, with Villa reluctant to lose the services of an experienced campaigner.
Given is hoping those discussions reach a positive conclusion, with the Irish goalkeeper having enjoyed playing behind Cuellar.
He said: "I don't know what is happening about Carlos' contract situation but I hope he does stay here. People sometimes say that football players do too much talking but Carlos is doing all his talking on the pitch.
"He's playing some great stuff and, since Richard Dunne has gone out of the side, Carlos and James Collins have been fantastic.
"I'm sure that Randy Lerner (club owner) and Paul Faulkner (chief executive) and the guys that make those decisions have taken big notice of that."
Recovery
Cuellar has moved across from right-back to his favoured centre-half role since Dunne suffered a broken collarbone in February.
Dunne is making steady progress in his recovery from that injury and Given is confident his countryman will be back in time to play a part in Villa's end of season run-in and the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2012 campaign.
He told the club's
official website: "As far as I know he's doing okay. He's still in a sling, but it's going according to plan as far as I'm aware.
"You'd need to speak to the doctor to get the latest, but Dunney seemed in good form when I spoke to him last week.
"I think he's just getting on with it like he normally does. Dunney is very much one of those who doesn't really complain about anything. He just gets his head down and gets on with it."
