Aston Villa boss Remi Garde: 'I will not favour French players'

Aston Villa boss Remi Garde has insisted that he will not show favouritism towards the French players in his squad.

The 49-year-old made six changes in his first match in charge of the club in their goalless draw against Manchester City, recalling Jordan Ayew, Jordan Amavi and Jordan Veretout to the starting lineup, while Charles N'Zogbia featured from the bench.

However, Garde is adamant that the players were not picked solely on their nationality and has revealed that no-one is guaranteed a start in his team.

He told reporters: "Yes but they are not back because they are French or I knew them. In a fortnight it can be a different team.

"They did well but the team did well. I think the spirit they are starting to show all together is better than I saw previously.

"I think Charles is an interesting player. He was quite okay in the training sessions and I thought he could be useful for the team. That's it."

Villa remain bottom of the Premier League, despite their draw against City.