Derek Mountfield backs Villa new-boy Philippe Senderos to silence the critics
Derek Mountfield today insisted Philippe Senderos will plug the gap in Villa's defence.
Senderos, currently in Brazil with Switzerland for the World Cup, has a reputation for undermining his game with costly errors.
But Mountfield, who made 118 appearances for Villa, said:
"One of the criticisms of him is he can be prone to making errors, but so can a lot of other defenders.
"I think, sometimes, Senderos suffered because some of his mistakes were so high-profile."
especially when you are just starting out in the Premier League at Arsenal.
"Over the years he's put in some good performances and some not so good performances, but you've never had the feeling that he's been really settled anywhere.
"Maybe Villa can be that place that feels like home for him. Villa have needed that experience because some of the young defenders have struggled at times.
"But he needs to go there and be commanding, solid and reliable, because he is not going to have anybody looking after him."
