Djemba-Djemba joined Villa for US$2.5 in 2005

Aston Villa have parted company with Cameroon midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba after cancelling the remainder of his contract by mutual consent.

Djemba-Djemba cost Villa US$2.5m when he moved from his boyhood heroes Manchester United two-and-a-half years ago but he has made only a minimal impact with the midlands club.

The Cameroon international slipped so far down the pecking order at Villa Park that he was loaned out to Coca Cola Championship strugglers Burnley for the second half of last season.

It was a far cry from when Sir Alex Ferguson signed Djemba-Djemba from Nantes as a possible long-term successor for Roy Keane at Old Trafford.

With the arrival of Nigel Reo-Coker and the emergence of youngster Craig Gardner, his prospects at Villa were even bleaker this season and a parting of the ways for the 26-year-old was inevitable.

O'Neill admitted: "It is fair to say that Eric has not really experienced the best of times since he arrived here from Old Trafford a couple of years ago.