Shay Given has said that he has no regrets about leaving Newcastle United in 2009.

The Irish stopper, who is now Aston Villa's number one, was speaking ahead of this afternoon's Premier League encounter between the pair, which is his first return to St James's Park since his departure.

"I haven't played there since I left Newcastle - so it will be strange and emotional for me," Given said.

"At one point I did think I'd be at Newcastle for life but then things change and you change yourself."

Despite his fond memories of his time on Tyneside, the 35-year-old insisted that he was happy in Birmingham with Villa, adding: "People might say to me, 'Oh but Newcastle are above you in the league, I bet you wish you were still there', but I am genuinely really happy at Villa."

Given made over 350 appearances in a black-and-white shirt between 1997 and 2009.