Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar is willing to play out the season at Villa Park.

The skipper is a January target for Manchester United but a transfer appears to be out of his thoughts.

"When people ask me what I want for Christmas, the answer is simple - I want to play football and help Villa climb up the Premier League table," he told the Birmingham Mail.

"For the past two years I've been out of action over the festive period because of injuries. But while it's been nice to be able to spend time with my family, any professional footballer will tell you that being with your team-mates has to be the priority.

"So having overcome my calf problem and returned to action I'm itching for the chance to face Swansea on Boxing Day - and hopefully every other game this season."