Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood is eager for on-loan midfielder Tom Cleverly to sign a permanent deal but accepts that Villa will need to make sure of their Premier League status first.

Cleverley's contract runs out at Manchester United in the summer and a number of clubs, including Everton, are said to be interested in the player.

Sherwood said: "I've told him. Tom's got a decision to make and we're willing to wait until the end of the season for that.

"We've got a lot of hard work to be done like making sure we are safe first or it won't be up for discussion.

"He'll have a lot of options in the Premier League, He's not going to want to join a team in the Championship."