Delaney, who gave up his job in a factory when he joined from Cardiff City six seasons ago, said: "I've enjoyed all my time at Villa and I'd love to stay here for a lot longer. Let's put it this way, if Villa did come up with a new five-year contract, I'd have no hesitation about signing on the dotted line immediately.
"I believe things are generally going in the right direction,” he added. “I really can't see myself going anywhere else in the foreseeable future." Many Villa fans would disagree about the encouraging move in the ‘right direction’ as this season has seen the 28-year-old line up in an unaccustomed centre-half role, where his lack of positional sense and proclivity for lunging tackles have been a factor in the team’s recent decline.