Villa boss Martin O’Neill is confident there will be no repeat of the circus which surrounded Gareth Barry’s on-off move to Liverpool last summer.

The midfielder was at the centre of a bitter transfer tug-of-war between O’Neill and Liverpool counterpart Rafael Benitez, in which the Ulsterman eventually prospered after the Reds failed to meet Villa’s £18million asking price.

But Barry has again been linked with a move to Merseyside, as Villa’s Champions League challenge has faded but O’Neill remains calm about the possibility of another saga unravelling.

The manager said: “The speculation is inevitable, it will happen, it’s not a problem.

“I have discussed it numerous times with the player and he is very happy to wait until the end of the season to see how things develop. That’s the way we have left it.

“This is not like last year. This is a situation which I realised would come around and that’s the way it is. It’s not an issue.

“I’m not bothered (by last summer). From the experience of last year I don’t think that will materialise.

“It’s a different set of people now working with Gareth.”

O’Neill has previously indicated he would be prepared to let Barry pursue his Champions League dream, should Villa fail to secure a top-four finish.