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Ron Vlaar admits he would still like to be Aston Villa captain after losing the armband to Fabian Delph.

But the former skipper acknowledges that Delph has developed the leadership qualities to do the job.

Delph was handed the captaincy by Tim Sherwood during Vlaar's latest injury-enforced absence.

And the new manager decided to stick with the England midfielder as skipper even when Vlaar returned to action.

The honour had been the Dutch international defender's since he took over from Darren Bent in September 2012.

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"I did the job with honour and pride for nearly three years and I gave everything - but I still give everything," said Vlaar.

"It doesn't matter whether I wear the armband or not.

"I would still have liked to do the job but it doesn't make a difference to me. "I haven't been fit for most of the season which has been frustrating because I want to play and I want to play well. I want to be important for the team.We are all in this together."

Vlaar, whose contract expires at the end of the season, believes Villa are in safe hands with Delph as captain.

"When I came back into the team Fabian was captain, and that's no problem," he added.

"I think Fabian has developed as a leader of the team. He's ready for it now; you can see that on the pitch and you can see it off the pitch.

"He has grown as a leader and he's the right person for the job. But it's not about me or about Fabian being captain. It's about the team."