WORCESTER City want to keep Ellis Deeney for next season — but have been unable to contact the left-back for nearly a month.

The former Aston Villa youth captain verbally agreed a deal with the St George’s Lane club towards the end of the Blue Square Bet North campaign.

However, the 21-year-old has since found himself facing affray charges, relating to an incident outside a Birmingham nightclub in February, and manager Carl Heeley says he has been unable to reach the player.

Deeney and brother Troy, a striker for Championship side Watford, pleaded guilty to affray at Birmingham Magistrates Court earlier this month and are due at Birmingham Crown Court for sentencing on June 12.

City accept they may have to wait for the legal proceedings to run their course but don’t want to be kept in the dark.

“We want Ellis to stay, he’s a good player,” Worcester boss Heeley said. “We verbally agreed a deal with him at the end of last season.

“There are personal issues that are on his priority list but we can’t hang around forever.

“We need to be able to talk to him and if we can’t we will have to move on.

“We have been unable to contact him since the penultimate week of the season. He needs to contact us and speak to us.”

Deeney, who led Villa to the FA Youth Cup final in 2010, joined City in January after brief spells with Kettering Town and Hinckley United.

Taking the place of Neil Cartwright, who went to Nuneaton Town, Deeney clocked up 16 appearances and impressed enough for City to want to retain his services.

In April, the player expressed a desire to stay at the Lane, claiming to be “happy where I am right now” although adding he could be tempted by a higher-ranked club for “personal progress”.

Meanwhile, City are still waiting to hear whether they will be able to play at Kidderminster Harriers from the start of the 2013-14 campaign.

Worcester officials met their Harriers counterparts last month about the possibility of ground-sharing at Aggborough once they leave St George’s Lane at the end of next season.

Harriers are believed to be City’s preferred option as the stadium is already up to Football League standard, although the cost could prove a stumbling block.

The other option, Bromsgrove Sporting’s Victoria Ground, would need investment to bring it up to the Blue Square Bet North grading required by City.