O'Neill says he won't 'down tools' at Villa

ASTON Villa manager Martin O'Neill says he will discuss his future with club owner Randy Lerner in the summer, but said it was not in his nature to "down tools" over the size of his transfer budget.

Reports circulated last week O'Neill was set to resign, but the former Celtic manager, who said he was "overwhelmed" by the support he received from Villa fans during Saturday's 1-0 win at Bolton, told a Sunday newspaper a potential lack of transfer funds would not be the only factor he would weigh up when considering his long-term future.

He said: "If that situation did develop, that wouldn't necessarily mean I would go and down tools and say, 'Well, listen, we can't go any further.'

"What you would do is see if you can come up with some other ways, maybe through the scheme here with the younger players coming through, maybe with a bit of trading here and there, maybe taking a risk with a major player to be transferred (out] to sort things out.

"You wouldn't just down tools. It's not been in my nature to do that – just throwing the toys out of the pram."

O'Neill added that he feels he should "consider (his] value a bit more".

He said: "I don't think I have ever in my managerial time really given my valuation its proper consideration. I don't have an agent, I've never had an agent, I might be the only manager in Europe who doesn't have an agent. I should really consider my value a wee bit more."