19-7-11: Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Shay Given from Manchester City on a five-year deal. Given, 35, is the Republic of Ireland's most capped player and was manager Alex McLeish's first signing after taking over at Villa Park. The former Blackburn and Newcastle keeper moved to City in 2009 for £7million but found first-team opportunities limited last season after England's Joe Hart became Roberto Mancini's preferred option. Given admits he was not featuring regularly enough under Mancini but is now relishing his latest challenge. "Everyone knows that I didn't play enough football last season, so I'm really pleased that I'll be able to put that right here. Hopefully, this move will get me back to where I was before in the Premier League, which is where every player wants to be playing," he told the club's official website. "Aston Villa is a huge football club and I'm really excited to be joining. I'm looking forward to training and playing with the players here. They're a good bunch of lads, very talented and I know several of them already which will help. "Obviously, I'm also excited to be working with Alex McLeish and it's going to be a fresh start for everybody at the club this season. "It's also a new challenge and one I'm eager to embrace. My aim is to impress the Aston Villa supporters with my performances and I can't wait really to get started." The experienced goalkeeper started his career as a youngster at Celtic, who he had been linked with all summer, before moving on to Blackburn, Newcastle and City. McLeish made Given his goalkeeping target after Brad Friedel left for Tottenham and the former Birmingham manager finally got his man before labelling his first acquisition at the club as "world-class". "Shay has come here probably with something of a point to prove and that won't do any harm at all," McLeish told the club's official website. "Everybody who has watched him perform over many years in th