Why I fear Martin O'Neill will quit Villa if James Milner and Ashley Young are sold

By James Nursey

Published 11:46 29/07/10

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Daily Mirror reporter James Nursey wrote this column in on July 29, 2010.

Martin O'Neill, James Milner and Ashley Young are Aston Villa's biggest assets but at this rate it's impossible to conceive all three will still be at the club in September and it is not ridiculous to suggest they all might go this summer.

Towards the end of last season the tabloid press carried regular stories questioning O'Neill's future at Villa Park.

And O'Neill did nothing to dampen suggestions he might leave when he admitted he planned to review his future this summer.

His admission followed an internet rumour which spread like wildfire on March 30 that O'Neill had quit.

It emanated from unconfirmed reports leaking out of Villa Park that O'Neill had responded badly to being told to cut his budget and that his relationship with owner Randy Lerner was no longer cosy.

The club were quick to deny the claims and O'Neill remained in charge with Lerner even claiming their rapport was 'better than ever'.

But lo and behold, what happened in the summer?

Lerner confirmed he was scaling back his investment into Villa while also promoting trusted aide Paul Faulkner to chief executive with a more hands-on role in transfer activity, which was previously O'Neill's sole responsibility.

Lerner also declared he was instituting a sell-to-buy policy and of course you cannot blame the man, it's his money.

After all the American has committed a staggering £179million investment into Villa - including the initial £62m he paid for the club.

It was an issue at Villa Park I addressed in mid-March when the rumours of alleged problems behind the scenes first came to my attention.

Earlier this year Villa also reported record losses of £43.7million for the previous financial year.

Paying the likes of Luke Young, Steve Sidwell, Nigel Reo-Coker, Nicky Shorey and Habib Beye at least £40,000-a-week to sit on the bench in a squad that has come sixth the last three seasons is not sustainable.

Now those players will be sold if any buyers come forward willing to pick up their lucrative contracts.

And while I understand Lerner's financial motives for the cut-backs, I sympathise with O'Neill, who has politely admitted the club's new policy is "not ideal".

England ace Milner,24, is a target for Man City, which I reported in April , and clearly wants to go.

While Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed he is an admirer of winger Young.

And I will not be surprised if Young asks to leave given the club's cut-backs that will make challenging for the Champions League again this season harder than ever.

Young is a Londoner who wants to play against the elite in Europe to prove himself after the disappointment of being overlooked for England's World Cup squad.

Villa did well to persuade him to stay last summer with improved terms as I revealed .

But this year I think it may well prove beyond O'Neill's powers of persuasion given the club's cash constraints.

And if Milner and Young both end up going what will O'Neill decide to do?

I wouldn't blame him for jacking it in after taking charge in August 2006 on a one-year rolling contract.

Most people agree he has taken the club as far as possible after three successive sixth-placed finishes and two trips to Wembley last season.

O'Neill is a shrewd man who will know when the time is right to go.

He left both Leicester and Celtic after successful spells before the club's fortunes dipped.

If both Milner and Young leave then O'Neill, who has always been loathe to break a contract, will surely have justification to walk too.

And quite frankly if O'Neill had been offered either the Man City or Liverpool posts this summer, I reckon he would have left Villa Park by now anyway.

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