Bent's plea with Ashley Young to stay

Darren Bent has pleaded with team-mate Ashley Young to ignore the interest of Liverpool and Manchester United and give Villa "just one more year" to fulfil his ambitions.

Villa's club-record signing has struck up a great rapport with Young on and off the pitch since his £24million arrival in January but, with 12 months left on his contract, the 25-year-old England winger is poised to leave the club this summer.

Yesterday assistant manager Gary McAllister claimed Villa will make a last-ditch attempt to persuade Young to sign a new deal and it appears that includes enlisting Bent.

He said: "Every day I'm in his ear going 'please just give us one more year, one more year, one more year!' I'm sure when we're away with England I'll be giving it the same.

"Ashley has been fantastic for Villa. There's not one person who could say that he hasn't served his time here in the last four or five years.

"He's won award after award. I think he's been fantastic and, if we could get another year out of him or two years, it would be brilliant."

Despite his charm offensive, Bent admitted that he can understand how Young would have his head turned by clubs that are challenging for trophies.

Bent said: "When you've got teams like Manchester United and other Champions League sides coming in for him it makes it very difficult, but if we can keep hold of him I'll be delighted.

"I don't know if it's a done deal yet. It's about ambitions at the end of the day. When Manchester United and Chelsea and those kind of clubs come calling it makes it difficult.

"I don't know whether the other players have been trying to convince him to stay but I know I have! Every day I'm on at him asking him to stay. He'll probably try to get away from me!

"But he's been fantastic and I really hope we can keep him."

England coach Fabio Capello has called up Bent, Young, Stewart Downing and Kyle Walker for England's Euro 2012 qualifier with Switzerland.

Walker has also been named in England's squad for the under-21 European Championships in Denmark, along with Marc Albrighton and Nathan Delfouneso.

Richard Dunne and Ciaran Clark have both withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad due to injury, while James Collins has pulled out of the Wales squad with a groin strain.