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Defender Joe Bennett has confirmed he will be staying at Aston Villa following the collapse of his move to Sheffield Wednesday.

As revealed on Birmingham Mail online today, Tony Xia has pulled the plug on Bennett's proposed free transfer to the Owls.

Bennett was all set to make the switch to Hillsborough after being told by Roberto Di Matteo that his opportunities at Villa could be limited.

But Xia put a block on the move because he was concerned about losing a player to a potential Championship promotion rival.

The 26-year-old took to Twitter today to confirm he is staying put. He tweeted: "Been a hectic few days. Won't be moving though. What will be will be."

Aly Cissokho got the nod for Villa’s opening weekend Championship defeat at Wednesday, with Jordan Amavi chosen for the EFL Cup exit at Luton Town on Wednesday - the French full-back’s first competitive appearance since November.

Gregg Evans gives his verdict on the Luton shambles