Angel - determined to show his bestRecord signing Juan Pablo Angel has spelt out his determination to revive his Aston Villa career under new manager Martin O'Neill.
Angel scored 23 goals in David O'Leary's first season as manager but he has been a shadow of himself for the past two seasons as it became clear the relationship between the pair had cooled considerably.
The Colombian international was one of the players O'Leary was believed to be looking to unload to enable him to bring in fresh blood.
But his departure and O'Neill's arrival has given Angel the incentive to prove and show he should be part oof the future at Villa Park.
Angel, a £9.5million capture from River Plate five-and-a-half years ago, said: "You want to believe everyone will have a fresh start because the new manager has come in.
"I suppose it is a fresh start and a new challenge for everyone - and we've all got to show them why we are here and that we are capable of being in the squad.
"Everyone has something to prove and there are no agendas. There's only a week until the start of the season so there's not much time for the manager or us to get to know each other.
"But that doesn't matter - we have to accept the situation, deal with it and get things right for the start of the season."
Angel added: "I think in general everyone is happy not just for the supporters, but for everyone around the club. Martin O'Neill was the manager who everyone wanted here so hopefully things will change and get better this year.
"I've always been optimistic and this is a different challenge which I'm looking forward to. What happened before is in the past and I want to concentrate on what's happening right now.
"Right now my aim is to prove to the manager I'm capable of being in the squad so it's up to me and up to everyone here to show him we want to be part of his team and a successful squad.
"It's difficult to say how I feel about the manager because he's only been here for a few days so it's difficult to get to know someone well in that time.
"But every time you change something it's a fresh start and only time will tell if it was a good or a bad thing. In football, the bottom line is results and if you get the right results, everyone is happy."
Angel added: "We are lucky to have Martin O'Neill because his record speaks for itself. I suppose it's a great thing to have someone like him with his pedigree.
"For him, I suppose this is a new and different challenge for him. He has proved himself many, many times in his career.
"This is an opportunity for him to prove himself at Villa and I'm sure he's more than capable of doing it. But we have to help him do it."
Angel played his first 90 minutes since recovering from a thigh injury in Tuesday's clash with NEC Nijmegen in Holland.
He said: "It was nice to get through without any problems. I'm feeling better now. I had a little problem a few weeks ago but that was my first game back and I felt no reaction from my thigh so I'm happy.
"Now I'm looking forward to building up my fitness. This was something I was desperate to do because there's not much time before the start of the season and I want to be involved."
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