Lambert determined to keep his best players

Villa have been under a cloud of uncertainty since owner Randy Lerner declared his intention to sell the Midlands club, with the likes of Christian Benteke, Brad Guzan and Fabian Delph linked with moves away.

Lambert has reiterated his stance on his own future on numerous occasions, underlining his wish to stay as manager.

And the Scot is adamant that Villa will not be looking to sell their big names between now and the start of next season.

"I can say they're not going anywhere," he said. "I'll still have the final say on who came and who went.

"I wouldn't imagine anyone will leave without my permission."

Despite a disappointing 15th-placed finish in the Premier League in 2013-14, Lambert has no qualms over his spell in charge at Villa has gone to date.

"Any regrets? No, not at all," he said. "If it all ended tomorrow I would take away an unbelievable experience because it's a brilliant club.

"The pressure on it is big, no two ways about it. But there's always something good that will come out of something like this. So I don't have any regrets."