O’Leary wants to be Ireland boss — but not yet

DAVID O’Leary has admitted that he would like to manage the Republic of Ireland but not until he has fulfilled all his ambitions in club football.

Aston Villa manager O'Leary was quick to distance himself from the job which became vacant when it was decided not to renew Brian Kerr's contract earlier in the month.

But the former Republic central defender will be keen to have a crack at the post or any in role in international football in the future.

He revealed: "I would be interested in an international job, definitely, but a lot further on down the line from at present.

"We'd all love to manage our own country eventually and I hope, when you get all the club stuff out of the way, that it might happen.

"Hopefully you'd be asked which would be a great honour. If I was asked, then I'd love to do it further down the line but there are things to achieve at club level first."

O'Leary's immediate priority is to transform Villa into a top six Premiership club with rumours rife that a takeover of the club by the Irish-owned property company Comer Homes Group for around £64 million (€94m) is imminent.

Talks are understood to be well advanced between the company and Villa chairman Doug Ellis, who had hinted at the recent annual general meeting of shareholders that changes could soon occur and he would step aside.

But if the deal goes ahead it will give O'Leary the funds he believes are needed to make Villa a force again in football after years in the doldrums.

"It's been a slow process because we haven't had the financial clout. That's a big thing. Tottenham have improved over the last 18 months with the massive investment there.

"If you haven't got that, the process takes much longer. But I want to have a team that is year-in and year-out in the top six."