Tim Sherwood adamant he did not try to undermine Paul Lambert

Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood has laughed off claims made by Roy Keane that he tried to undermine the club's former manager Paul Lambert.

Keane has updated his autobiography, and in it he writes that Sherwood's presence at Villa Park while Lambert was under pressure was part of a strategy to get the job when he was eventually sacked.

But Sherwood says he was a regular viewer of plenty of teams while he was out of work and joked that he might have looked to an even higher level had such a plan been in action.

"I went to a lot of football matches, probably 20-30 while I was out of work," Sherwood said.

"That’s what I do. If that’s a formula to get yourself a job, next time I’m out of work I’ll position myself at the Nou Camp or the Bernabeu.

"Aston Villa was probably the only club I wasn’t linked with. I went everywhere else."

Keane was also critical of Villa striker Christian Benteke, accusing him of complacency during a bad start to the season when, he claimed, even goals in training sessions were proving hard to come by.

But Sherwood has nothing but praise for the Belgium international, who has scored 11 goals in his last 11 games as Villa have clawed their way out of the relegation zone.

"I don’t want to comment on the previous regime," Sherwood added. "All I can say is how I’ve found Christian since I’ve come in. He’s very good. He does score in training and more importantly he does score when we put him on the pitch when it matters. I’m pleased for him.

"It takes some time to come back from injury but it’s also about creating chances – if he gets them he’s scores the goals. Perhaps he wasn’t getting as many chances before."

However Sherwood is keen to avoid any complacency in his squad as they head into the final three games of the season just two points, but three places, above the bottom three.

Ahead of the home clash with West Ham, he said: "I can only go on how I’ve seen these boys they realise they’re in a severe situation here, there is a real danger of relegation, they have been warned about that from start.

"We can all agree they are doing everything they can to keep this great club in the Premier League – that’s where it belongs."