JOHN Gregory has insisted that Aston Villa's move for Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel is not just a case of settling for second best after the failed bid for Benni McCarthy.

Gregory recently visited Buenos Aires to watch 25-year-old Angel score for River Plate against Boca Juniors after giving up hope of signing McCarthy.

And the Villa boss is adamant that Angel would be a bigger buy for the Midlands club. Gregory said: "He's not a substitute for McCarthy.

"Benni has always been of interest to us but this guy has been my first choice since I first became aware of him. The problem has been in tracking him down. Angel is the one I wanted."