Lescott explains LA Galaxy snub: I didn't want to 'jump ship' from Aston Villa

Joleon Lescott has spoken out about his decision to turn down a swan song in Major League Soccer, saying he didn't want to "jump ship" from sinking Aston Villa.

The 26-time England international snubbed the advances of the LA Galaxy, where Bruce Arena's outfit will begin the campaign as one of the MLS Cup favourites, to try and claw back the eight points between the bottom of the Premier League and safety with Villa.

"There was some genuine interest from LA Galaxy in January, but for me to jump ship - I don't want that to be my legacy," Lescott told Henry Winter of The Times.

"I'd prefer us to go down and me be a part of that than, 'Oh, he left in January, spent six months and felt it was not his responsibility.' There's the possibility of staying up. We could go from being one of the worst teams in Aston Villa's history to one of the greatest if we stay up."

The two-time Premier League winner at Manchester City is experiencing very different fortunes since his summer move to Villa, and first received criticism from the support when he appeared to not be taking an FA Cup clash with Wycombe Wanderers seriously in January.

He also fell foul of supporters' expectations when he posted a picture of a £120,000 Mercedes on Twitter shortly after a 6-0 loss to Liverpool, and most recently offered to fight a fan at the Bodymoor Heath Training Ground following an Instagram spat.

In his defence, Lescott claims the person had earlier sent a message saying he wanted to "carve me a new scar on my face." He also said he posted the picture of the Mercedes in his pocket as he forgot to lock his phone.

He does admit, though: "With results and the performance it wasn't great timing."

Villa's elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester City last month means the club has a weekend off before next Saturday's short trip to Stoke City.