Birmingham Mail: Barry Bannan admits it is a "make or break" season for his Villa career as he strives to become a first team regular under Paul Lambert.

Birmingham Mail: Darren Bent has reassured Paul Lambert he will be ready for the Premier League kick-off on August 18 after making a full recovery from his ankle problem.

Daily Express: Former Villa boss Gerard Houllier has joined a new management set-up at Austrian champions Salzburg.

ESPN: Darren Bent thinks Aston Villa are "going places" under new manager Paul Lambert and says the club's young players can drive them up the Premier League table.

Goal.com: Darren Bent is of the opinion that Aston Villa are set for a successful spell under newly-appointed manager Paul Lambert.

Teamtalk: Ralf Rangnick and Gerard Houllier have both joined a new-look set-up at Austrian champions Salzburg.

Clubcall: Aston Villa are vying with Sevilla for the signature of Czech international midfielder Jaroslav Plasil from Bordeaux.

Best of the Rest

BBC Sport: England manager Roy Hodgson defended Ashley Young and Ashley Cole after they failed to score in the Euro 2012 penalty shoot-out defeat by Italy.

Sun: Roy Hodgson insisted there was nothing more England could have done as they lost their fifth successive penalty shootout.

Mirror: Cardiff are weighing up an audacious bid for Craig Bellamy.

BBC Sport: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque admits his "drained" side face a disadvantage in their Euro 2012 semi-final with Portugal on Wednesday.

*The extracts on this page are taken from various newspapers and media outlets. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Aston Villa.