Hansen hails 'great' O'Neill

Legendary football pundit Alan Hansen has praised Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill for his transformation of the club, but claims it is still too early to see them as top four contenders.

Villa may have beaten Arsenal at the Emirates last weekend, but Hansen told Football Pools.com that he believes they still need some work.

"Martin O'Neill deserves great praise for the job he's done at Villa Park but even a win at the Emirates seems to have been downplayed," said Hansen.

"Martin has done an absolutely great job and is undoubtedly a great manager. In his time at the club he has made great strides, bought very well and turned a relatively average squad into one of the youngest and most exciting in the Premier League.

"I doubt Villa will be strong enough to break into the top four this season but if any side is going to do it at the moment then it's Villa and for that Martin deserves great credit."

To read the full column by Alan Hansen, click here...