With just days remaining before the start of the 2010/2011 Barclays Premier League season, Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill has this afternoon announced his decision to resign from the club “with immediate effect.”
The announcement comes after weeks of speculation and negotiation regarding a transfer of Villa’s England star James Milner to Manchester City, though no reason has been given for his departure at this early stage.
Kevin MacDonald has been appointed as caretaker manager by the football club.
O’Neill had been at the helm of Villa for four years, helping them to get close to the pinnacle of European sport in the process, finishing 6th in last season’s Barclays Premier League, and achieving European qualification in each of the past three seasons.
It is unclear what role O’Neill will take next, but he has told in his statement that he will be “assisting the club in the immediate short-term with regard to the handover of my duties.”