Taylor quashes Yorke talk

The Manchester United striker was inevitably forwarded as an ideal first target for the new Villa boss, despite the fact that Taylor has already gone on record as saying he is reticent to break the club's wage structure.

Furthermore, despite his fall from grace at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson is always keen to have four front men at his disposal, and the Champions League registration has passed.

"It's perfectly understandable that the story should be written because people are aware of my friendship with Dwight and the fact that I brought him to the club," Taylor told the official Aston Villa website.

"If you're working for a newspaper, you're going to run that story just in case it happens, so that you can be first.

"I can understand that.

"The reality is that I can tell you, very openly and honestly, that I haven't spoken to Alex Ferguson, we've made no approach whatsoever for Dwight at all."

The former England coach brought Trinidad and Tobago star Yorke to Britain from St Clair's in his homeland, and he had a major impact in the Midlands before joining United.

Although a key figure in the famous 1999 Treble-winning side, the 30-year-old has upset Ferguson and the Red Devils supporters with his off-the-field antics, and casual performances in a red shirt this season.