Fabian Delph saved Aston Villa from relegation last season and I'm delighted he's staying, says Tim Sherwood after midfielder's Manchester City U-turn

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Fabian Delph was booked in for a medical at Manchester City on Saturday
City manager Manuel Pellegrini had triggered the England midfielder’s £8million release clause
But Delph has instead pledged his future to Villa

Published: 13:16 EST, 12 July 2015 | Updated: 20:22 EST, 12 July 2015

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Tim Sherwood has hailed Fabian Delph’s decision to remain at Aston Villa after confirming the club captain turned down an opportunity to join Manchester City.

Delph was booked in for a medical at City after Manuel Pellegrini triggered the England midfielder’s £8million release clause.

The 25-year-old had been poised to sign after agreeing terms but had an eleventh-hour change of heart and instead pledged his future to Villa.

Fabian Delph trains with Aston Villa at the club's training ground at Bodymoor Heath earlier this week

Club captain Delph has turned down an opportunity to join Manchester City after a late change of heart

‘He had an opportunity to join Man City and he weighed up his options and decided to stay with us, which we’re obviously all delighted about,’ Sherwood told AVTV.

‘We are looking to build something here and we’re looking to keep our best players. Fabian is certainly one of those.

‘It’s just an example of the measure of the guy really that he decided to stay – the loyalty he’s shown to the Aston Villa fans, the football club and the chairman. And I’m delighted to have him next season.’

Aston VIlla manager Tim Sherwood has praised the England midfielder's decision to stay with the club

Sherwood took the bold step of crediting Delph, Villa’s player of the season, with providing the defining influence in surviving relegation.

‘He’s a leader,’ said the Villa manager. ‘I could go as much as to say that if Fabian Delph wasn’t with us last season we wouldn’t be in the Premier League now.

‘He’s someone I had the ear of. He was very instrumental in what I wanted to do.

Sherwood hailed Delph as the driving force behind Villa's survival from Premier League relegation last term

Fabian Delph has a serious workout session with his brother

‘He knew exactly what I wanted from the team and he drove them on. It can’t always come from the manager – the instructions – sometimes someone on the pitch needs to translate that information and Fabian certainly did that.’

Delph agonised over his choice, realising that City provided an opportunity of Champions League football and Premier League titles races. He is understood to have told chief executive Tom Fox of his intention to join City.

But he dramatically changed his mind and elected to stay at Villa for regular football at a place he holds dear. He will remain with his pregnant wife Natalie until their second child is born, rather than join up with the squad in Portugal.