Baros Talks Planned

Martin O’Neill is returning from the pre-season friendly tour of Germany and Holland in the hopes of convincing a few players that their future lies at Villa.

He has already said he would like to keep Gareth Barry but also added he won’t stop any unhappy players from moving on. He said about Barry, ‘I had a brief conversation with Gareth Barry. I did not get a firm commitment from him, one way or another.’

He is also looking to hold talks with Milan Baros who has been unable to feature in any pre-season games due to the injury he picked up in the World Cup for the Czech Republic.

O’Neill told the official site: ‘I want to see Baros over the weekend and I think it’s important to introduce myself to him – let him know there’s a manager in and around the place now.’

Baros was our top scorer last season despite an injury hit campaign.