Former Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has admitted some regret leaving the job in 2010.

Ex-Villa striker Gabby Agbonalahor has taken the chance to ask the manager the question that most of the squad may have been thinking.

Taking to social media, Agbonalhor asked O'Neill: “Why did you leave us Gaffa."

The former manager replied with: “Hi Gabby, if I could turn back time, I would have handled it differently. Genuinely sorry to leave a great group of talented players, I might even include you in that group!!!! Hope you are keeping well, Martin."

O'Neill spoke in depth about his departure from Villa Park earlier this month, saying that Lerner's decision to sell midfielder James Milner to Manchester City was the final straw. The manager did, however, say that he would handle things differently if he had another chance.

“The bottom line is that if you were asking me now - and in fact even if you'd asked me maybe a year after events - then I would certainly have stayed on at the football club and pushed on," he told the Claret & Blue podcast .

"I have to say wherever I am as a football manager the owner of a football club has his own decisions to make, and maybe I didn't see that at the time.

"But again, in hindsight, you look and you think he's the owner, he's the one who has tried to improve the football club in many aspects, so that decision should rest with him probably."