• Lerner refuses to give details about manager’s resignation
• Chairman says they ‘no longer shared a common view’

Randy Lerner, the Aston Villa chairman, has finally broken his silence and issued a vague statement admitting that he and Martin O’Neill “no longer shared a common view as to how to move forward”.

Lerner refused to go into any details about the reasons behind O’Neill’s decision to resign as manager on Monday, although the Northern Irishman is known to have been uncomfortable with the financial constraints that were placed on him.

Lerner also gave no indication about the type of manager that Villa are looking for to replace O’Neill. He said that backing Kevin MacDonald, the reserve team manager who has been placed in control in a caretaker capacity, provided the “immediate focus”, along with finalising James Milner’s protracted transfer to Manchester City .

The American also claimed that Villa’s “approach to building the club” has not changed, although it was notable that he talked about being “as competitive as possible given our size and resources”.

That choice of words is likely to reflect the need for the club to operate more prudently, bringing to an end the heavy spending and huge wages that were a feature of O’Neill’s reign, and raising questions about Villa’s ability to challenge for a place in the top four in the future.

The full statement said: “Having had some time to reflect on Martin leaving, I can say that our most immediate focus is supporting Kevin MacDonald and resolving the situation with Manchester City and James Milner.

“As for explaining why Martin left, I can say only that we no longer shared a common view as to how to move forward. To deal in greater detail would do little but cause additional distraction for the club as it faces imminent games and the clear priority of hiring a permanent manager.

“Finally, there have been no changes in our approach to building the club, aiming always to be as competitive as possible given our size and resources.”

Martin O’NeillAston VillaStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk

• Aston Villa reportedly planning to bid £10m for midfielder
• Co-owner ‘optimistic’ club captain will decide to stay

West Ham remain confident that Scott Parker, the midfielder, will still be playing for the club next season.

Aston Villa are reportedly planning to make a £10m bid for the Hammers’ captain but David Sullivan, the club’s co-owner, said: “I am extremely optimistic that we can persuade him to stay at Upton Park. He is the backbone of our rebuilding plans, the team’s talisman.

“No way do we want a rerun of last season when we finished on 35 points as normally that amount means you’re relegated.

“The last time I spoke to Scott [before the summer break] he was enthusiastic [about] staying. I guess he wants to hear about our plans for rebuilding. And at the moment we have not had any offers for him. We’ve just heard rumours, that’s all.”

West Ham UnitedTransfer windowAston VillaJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk

• Defender pulls out of training with achilles injury
• Milner returns to training after recovering from achilles problem

Richard Dunne has given Aston Viila an injury scare ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea.

The defender was forced to withdraw from training this morning with a sore achilles.

The former Manchester City player has been troubled by the problem in recent weeks and Villa could ill afford to be without his experience for the Wembley meeting with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

However, the midfielder James Milner has resumed training after being rested for the game at Bolton last week, also with an achilles problem.

“Dunne has had a bit of a setback and he came out of training this morning,” said the Villa manager, Martin O’Neill. “Richard was a bit sore. It is an injury we have to be nursing through. It has been troublesome for a while but he definitely will want to play.”

Aston VillaFA Cupguardian.co.uk