Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill hopes that the progress the club has made this season should be enough for star midfielder Gareth Barry to sing a new contract in January.

Barry was in talks with Liverpool over summer but wanted to see marked improvement in Villa's performances before he signed anything long-term.

"If Gareth wants to discuss things, I'd be open to any invitation," he is quoted as saying in The News of the World.

"We're trying to make progress. One of the things Gareth has said is that he didn't think we were making significant progress for his time in the game and I understand that.

"Whether we have done that by January or June remains to be seen."