Aston Villa defender Ciaran Clark has committed his long-term future to the club by signing a new five-year deal.

The Republic of Ireland international has spent his entire career at the club since making his debut in 2009 and he has gone on to make over 100 league appearances for the West Midlands side.

The 25-year-old had been linked with a move to Premier League rivals West Brom over the summer, but Clark has now revealed his delight at signing the new deal before the new campaign gets under way.

He said: “I’m absolutely thrilled. I’ve been at Aston Villa since I was a kid and I want to continue to play for this fantastic football club.”

The Villans endured a difficult league campaign last term as they finished just one place above the relegation zone, but despite this Clark is convinced his side can have a successful season in what is manager Tim Sherwood’s first full year in charge.

He continued: “Everyone is looking forward to the new season and I’m delighted to be going into the opening game on Saturday knowing my long-term future has been sorted.”

The Villa boss also confirmed his delight at tying the defender down to a new long-term deal and he is hopeful the youngster can have a successful campaign at Villa Park if he can remain injury free.

He revealed: “Ciaran wears his heart on his sleeve. He was unfortunate with injuries last season but he looks sharp now and we want to keep him fit.”

Last season’s FA Cup finalists will begin their league campaign away at newly-promoted Bournemouth on Saturday and they will be hoping to make a fast start to build confidence going into the rest of the campaign.