O'Neill hits out at Barry claim
30 Jun 2008 - 08:20:19
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has reacted angrily to suggestions from wantaway captain Gareth Barry that he has done little or nothing to try and keep him at Villa Park.
The England midfielder has expressed his wish to quit Villa in search of Champions League football and suggested that O'Neill was too busy as a TV pundit at Euro 2008 to hold further discussions on the matter.
Barry told The News of the World: "Villa kept saying they wanted me to stay, but I haven't heard from the manager for weeks.
"It's seven weeks now since the season finished but, while the gaffer's found time to be a pundit for the BBC at Euro 2008, he hasn't found the time to speak to me.
"Have Villa offered me anything to try to persuade me my future is at Villa Park, not Anfield? Not a thing."
O'Neill responded by telling the club's official website:" My chairman and I were surprised with the comments attributed to Gareth Barry.
"Contrary to what was reported, we desperately want to keep Gareth at Villa Park and he knows that.
"We asked both Gareth and his agent to consider what had been discussed at our meeting, but Gareth came back from England international duty in June and reiterated his intention to join Liverpool and told me so.
"But Liverpool's valuation of Gareth has been consistently well short of our own and at the moment remains so.
"We have made our position clear in respect of Liverpool's interest in the captain of our club, but if Liverpool meet our valuation then Gareth Barry will get his express wish to leave Villa Park."
