Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert feels that his assistant Roy Keane's abilities were being wasted as a pundit on television.

Keane left his role on ITV Sport to join the Villans, in addition to his duties as being number two to Martin O'Neill with the Republic of Ireland.

The Scot has insisted that he had no qualms about bringing in the former Manchester United midfielder, which could have potentially put his future in doubt.

"It never once crossed my mind," Lambert told reporters. "The two of us are really strong characters.

"I knew he had a lot of football knowledge that was unfairly tarnished. His knowledge meant he was too good to be a television pundit. To get him back in the game was great."

Lambert signed a new four-year contract with Villa following their excellent start to the Premier League season.