Hollywood star and Aston Villa fan Tom Hanks has urged the Villa supporters to remain optimistic.

Following a woeful season, the Villans have unsurprisingly suffered relegation into the Championship and as things stand, the Midlands based outfit will certainly find it very difficult to earn promotion back to the Premier League immediately.

Despite the bleak looking future for the club, celebrity Villa fan Hanks is remaining optimistic and has urged the club supporters to do the same.

"This is a message to all the claret and blue: hang on," the star of Saving Private Ryan told the BBC.

"There's not a club in the world that hasn't experienced this and there isn't a club in the world that hasn't fought back.

"Aston Villa will see their destinies through; hang on, don't give up, wear the scarves, come on."