The club were officially relegated to the Championship on Saturday afternoon after losing 1-0 at Manchester United.

Joleon Lescott has told Sky Sports that he wants to stay at Aston Villa this summer to try to help the club bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Villa’s relegation after 28 years in the top-flight was finally confirmed on Saturday afternoon when they suffered a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United to render their final four fixtures nothing more than dead rubbers.

The bottom dwellers have endured a woeful season, winning just three league games and scoring a division-low 23 goals, and there are now expected to be sweeping changes across the club over the summer ahead of their first campaign in the second tier since 1987-88.

Nevertheless, regardless of who is appointed Remi Garde’s permanent successor in the near future, Lescott insists that he plans to be at Villa Park next term.

The boyhood Villa fan has been a prominent target for the boo boys in recent months due to his declining performances and ill-advised Twitter antics, but he has vowed to fight on and put things right.

“Of course I want to be part of the battle. I’m here for as long as Aston Villa want me,” Lescott told Sky Sports after the loss at Old Trafford. “I was a Villa fan growing up, so it hurts as much as some of those fans out there, even though they might not think so.

“As an individual I can only take my part in the blame but I don’t think it’s ever as bad as what people portray in the press. But we’re not going to dwell on that and use it as an excuse.

“We’ve not been good enough this season and that’s why we are where we are.”

Lescott, 33, joined Villa from Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion at the start of the season for an initial £1 million rising to £2 million with add-ons and has since made 27 total appearances for the club, scoring two goals in the process.

The Birmingham-born defender has also worn the captain’s armband in the absence of regular skipper Micah Richards, but has not stopped supporters from criticising his commitment after a growing number of uninspiring and error-strewn performances.

The majority would undoubtedly prefer if he did move on in the summer, but whether there will be any takers for his signature after such a disastrous campaign remains to be seen.

In other news, Report: Arsenal player set to leave in coming days for bigger fee than previously claimed