Hendrie: I've earned new deal
By Simon Fudge
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am
Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes he has qualified for a new contract.Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes he has qualified for a new contract, despite not having discussed a new deal with the club.
Hendrie, who has been in rich goalscoring form this season, says an appearance clause in his current deal has long qualified him for a new contract.
"I had an appearance clause in my contract that if I played 50 games, I was getting a new deal and I think I've played around 100, so it's long passed," Hendrie said.
"It was months and months ago and they've put it off.
"But when I signed, the clause about appearances was in there. I could really do with somebody sorting it out."
Villa boss David O'Leary, however, has decided to hold off starting new contract talks with Hendrie and defender Mark Delaney until later in the season, with the future of Thomas Hitzlsperger being his current priority.
"With regards to Lee and Mark, we haven't got around to speaking about it and the board haven't raised it with me," O'Leary said.
"Hopefully, you tend to get people signed up before the summer before they go away. It was similar with Gareth Barry last season.
"We'll wait a couple of months before we look at it. We have made the board aware of Thomas Hitzlsperger. We have to sort Thomas out first and I've not been told any news there."
O'Leary, meanwhile, has reportedly been charged with making an illegal approach for Southampton striker James Beattie during the summer.
The charges stem from comments made by the former Leeds United manager early in the season that a certain player, thought to be Beattie, was interested in coming to Villa.
Saints chairman Rupert Lowe has since seen the comments as an enticement to lure the former Blackburn Rovers hit-man to Villa Park and the Premier League have been made aware of O'Leary's comments.
Villa have since refuted the allegations of making an illegal approach for Beattie.