Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood says his loan move to Newcastle United was the right decision.

Harewood believes he has little future at Villa Park.

"I feel as though I needed to get out of Aston Villa," Harewood revealed to the Birmingham Mail.

"I wanted to be playing and I wasn't doing that. I needed to find an alternative, and Newcastle gave me this opportunity."

Harewood admits he found himself sliding down the pecking order with the arrival of Emile Heskey and the good performances of Gabby Agbonlahor and John Carew.

"I didn't feel as if I'd ever get a chance at Villa," he said. "They've got a lot of strikers at the club and such good players. I was involved with the squad, but I wasn't getting a game on a Saturday and that's really frustrating after a while."