Former Newcastle United midfielder Mick Martin has explained how the club let Seamus Coleman slip through their fingers.

Martin was involved with the Republic of Ireland national team setup about seven years ago when Everton defender Coleman was with Sligo Rovers.

The ex-Toon man told then-executive director of the Magpies, Dennis Wise, to sign the right-back but nobody at St James' Park heeded his advice. Coleman is now being linked with a summer move to Manchester United.

Martin told the Chronicle: "I was involved with the Irish national team with Giovanni Trapattoni and I remember somebody mentioned a kid called Seamus Coleman who played for Sligo Rovers.

"I went over and I watched him play.

"I had no affiliation to any football club, I was just working for the national team."

Martin added: "I was in the training ground with Joe Kinnear and Dennis Wise and I told Dennis that Joe had taken a note of the kid's name and that he should to.

"I told him to follow it up himself as director of football.

"So I rang him up and told him to take a note of Seamus Coleman.

"I said £150,000 to £200,000 would be money well spent.

"Anyway that was it, I told all four, the manager, the assistant, the director of football and the chief scout.

"And I don't think anybody even went to see him.

"Now he could go to Man United for £25m.

"I got the expression they were the ones who wanted to say they had sourced these kids rather than Mick Martin recommending, I wouldn't have cared a less if they mentioned me at all.

"I was so annoyed when I found out afterwards that within three or four weeks he'd gone to Everton. "I think Everton paid £200,000 for him and looking back it was a mistake by Newcastle."