Villa survival over reputation for Garde

Remi Garde insists his priority is rescuing Aston Villa’s season and not preserving his own reputation following Saturday’s 4-0 rout at the hands of Manchester City in the FA Cup fourth round.

Former Lille coach Garde has overseen just two wins in all competitions since replacing Tim Sherwood as Villa boss in November and the club are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League.

The Frenchman’s woes continued as City ran riot at Villa Park in the FA Cup, teenager Kelechi Iheanacho scoring a hat-trick before Raheem Sterling added further gloss in a routine victory.

But Garde insists he has no fears over his own reputation, saying: “How can I say it? I’m not working for myself. I’m working the best that I can for [a] football club in danger, in big difficulty, big trouble.

“My name [reputation] is not important for me. I’m not here to save my skin – I don’t know if you say that?

“I’m here to do my best. I’m sticking with my players, trying to do our best. I know it was not a comfortable position when I came in. I have no regrets and I will do my best until the end.”

Garde also reiterated his desire to bolster Villa’s ranks in the market before the end of the transfer window, which closes on Monday. 

“I recommended to sign players who would be helpful for us in the race to stay in the Premier League,” he added to BBC Sport. 

“If I can have some new faces and new bodies, it would be the best for everybody.”