Gareth in vow on Villa future; Skipper promises there will be no dramas over his decision to stay or go: Gareth: I'm focused on the club.

Byline: Bill Howell

GARETH Barry has promised to remain respectful to both Villa and the supporters before making what he still describes as a "difficult" decision on his future.

But he has insisted he is not dreading another summer of speculation..

The England midfielder's on-off switch to Liverpool got ugly 12 months ago with rival managers Martin O'Neill and Rafael Benitez exchanging jibes through the media and Barry was eventually barred from the training ground for joining in.

With one year left on his contract, Barry is expected to be strongly pursued by Benitez but with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City also holding an interest this summer..

O'Neill still harbours hopes of being able to retain his skipper while also indicating some weeks ago that he is unlikely to stand in Barry's way should he pursue a desire to play in the Champions League.

Barry insists that whatever transpires there will be no repeat of last year's saga.

"I've learnt a lot from what happened and last season I learned a lot off the

GARETH Barry has promised to remain respectful to both Villa and the supporters before making what he still describes as a "difficult" decision on his future. But he has insisted he is not dreading another summer of speculation. The England midfielder's on-off switch to Liverpool got ugly 12 months ago with rival managers Martin O'Neill and Rafael Benitez exchanging jibes through the media and Barry was eventually barred from the training ground for joining in. With one year left on his contract, Barry is expected to be strongly pursued by Benitez but with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City also holding an interest this summer.

O'Neill still harbours hopes of being able to retain his skipper while also indicating some weeks ago that he is unlikely to stand in Barry's way should he pursue a desire to play in the Champions League. Barry insists that whatever transpires there will be no repeat of last year's saga. "From the experience of last year I'm hoping to deal with it better," said Barry, whose focus remains on trying to steer Villa to fifth in the table, the best of his decade as a professional.

"It would be disrespectful to the fans and the club if I'm thinking about anything else rather than trying to get maximum points from the last four games - that's where my head is at this moment. "It will definitely be a difficult decision but we'll see where we are at the end of the season before making any decision. "It's always going to be a tough one, no matter what happens."

CAPTION(S):

Gareth Barry.