Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has laughed at claims that Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate is too nice a bloke to be a top manager.

Southgate is often perceived to be too gentle in a cut-throat business, but O'Neill dismisses such notions.

"I wouldn't go along with that. Because someone speaks coherently, and reasonably intelligently, suddenly, they are too nice!

"He definitely has the attributes and the ability to be a really good manager. Time will tell."