New Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has spoken of his respect for Gordon Cowans after deciding to retain the European Cup winner as a member of his backroom staff.

Lambert is determined to stamp his own mark on the club and Kevin MacDonald has decided to leave his first team coach/reserve team manager post after 17 years at Villa.

However, Cowans is being kept on in an unspecified capacity by Lambert, and Villa’s recently appointed boss is fully aware of the esteem in which ‘Sid’ is held at the club.

For the past two seasons, Cowans has been coaching the first team and it is as yet unknown whether he will continue in the senior set-up or return to a role with the academy.

Either way Lambert is keen to have a claret and blue man of Cowans’ reputation on board and the new boss is full of admiration for a fellow European Cup winning midfielder, having achieved with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 what his new colleague managed 15 years earlier at Villa.

“Gordon Cowans, as everyone knows, is a legend here at this football club for what he has done,” said Lambert. “That should never be taken away from those lads who have won the European Cup.

“That was an incredible football team and they have done incredible things for the club. Someone like Gordon Cowans deserves instant respect for what he has done.

“I have spoken to Gordon only very briefly and will have another chat with him later on and he’s a really nice guy.”

MacDonald, meanwhile, has decided on a new challenge after almost two decades. The 51-year-old Scot is now taking a brief holiday while he considers whether to embark on his own managerial career.