Marlon Harewood is ready to turn his back on Stoke, Hull, Fulham and QPR in a bid to prove he is worthy of a first-team spot at Aston Villa.The former West Ham striker was primarily used as a substitute by Martin O'Neill last season, although he quickly became a fans' favourite.

Newly-promoted Stoke and Hull have both been linked with a £2million swoop for his services, while Fulham and QPR are also thought to be keen on the burly hitman.

But Harewood, who has two years remaining of his current contract, is keen to impress O'Neill and said: "I want to play my part - and hopefully I'll get the chance to shine."

Harewood is determined that Villa make sure of their place in the UEFA Cup with victory in a two-legged Intertoto Cup match next month.

He said: "We're just one step away from the UEFA Cup and we don't want to throw that chance away. When I came to the club, all the players were talking about getting into Europe and we did that.

"I know we didn't get the automatic UEFA Cup spot but we finished sixth to qualify for the Intertoto and that was a great achievement.

"As soon as I came to Villa I could tell everyone here was hungry for success and last season is just the start."

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