Remi Garde has pledged to stay at Aston Villa even if he fails in his survival mission.
Garde is yet to win a Premier League game since his appointment in November but has the full backing of chairman Randy Lerner, with funds to be made available for this month’s transfer window.
Villa’s battle to avoid dropping into the Championship appears increasingly futile ahead of their potentially pivotal game at second-bottom Sunderland on Saturday.
The strugglers have only one win this season, on the opening day at Bournemouth, and are already 11 points adrift of 17th placed Swansea.
Garde (left) is yet to win a Premier League game since his appointment
Garde’s winless start has even led to criticism from some Villa supporters but the Frenchman insists he will remain as manager in the event of relegation and is already planning for next season.
When asked if he was going to stay and whether the club wanted him to, he said: “Both answers are yes. I’m not going anywhere [if we were to go down].
“I’m still frustrated not to have won a game in this country for sure, but I’m still looking at it with an optimist’s view.
“Of course I thought we would have won earlier but I knew when you come to club that has played 11 and lost nine you don’t expect to find everything going well.
Aston Villa have only one win this season Photo: REX FEATURES
“But I know we are not far away and personally I’m still thinking that the victory will come soon and that will change the mood of the changing room as well.”
Villa will cut the gap between themselves and Sunderland to just a point if they can begin 2016 with a victory.
And Garde is acutely aware of the ramifications of the game at the Stadium of Light, even though he claimed defeat will not destroy his hopes of an unlikely great escape.
“We will go there to win and I want my team to have the best period they can have,” he said.
“I know that it’s getting difficult but there are still 19 games to play and 57 points to win and there is still enough to reach the target.
“It’s a very important game but this is not the last chance we will have.”
Jordan Ayew and Ashley Westwood are both suspended and Gary Gardner could be recalled to the squad, despite interest from Nottingham Forest.
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