Injured Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies has admitted he would not criticise his skipper Gareth Barry if he decided to turn his back on his club for Champions League football.
After all the 22-year-old knows that would be considered hypocritical after he turned his back on West Bromwich Albion last season for a move to Villa Park.
Davies, aged 22, who is on his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon which could have ended his career, chose to leave the Championship side for a loan deal at Villa, after the Baggies failed to gain promotion to the Premier League last summer.
Instead he took up the chance to find fame and fortune with Martin O'Neill.
That deal is due to be made permanent at the end of this season and the former England Under-21 captain is sympathetic with the major decisions facing Barry who has been attracting interest from big guns including Liverpool and Chelsea after his fine form in midfield this year, both for Villa and England.
Davies said: "Obviously with a club like Villa if you want to do well then it is important to keep your best players especially with Villa trying to be a European footballing side.
"But I was captain of West Brom last year and I chose to leave to progress my career. Whatever Gareth is thinking, I want him to stay as a Villa player, but if he chose to go, I wouldn't hold it against him.
"It is down to Gareth really at the end of the day . I haven't heard anything from his lips to say he wants to go anywhere else but football is a strange world and I can understand why he might consider it.
"Gareth is not a tough talker or a man who comes out with chants or speeches before a game. He just gets on with it and he is a natural leader of our team."
Davies, meanwhile, believes England coach Fabio Capello should give Barry a chance as his skipper and would love to see his team-mate bestowed with that honour.
He said: "I would love to see Gareth as captain of England. He has shown what a great club captain he is and what a great leader."
