Cahill set for more time away from Villa

Cahill will be assessed when the players report back for pre-season training in six weeks time but O’Leary thinks that the defender could benefit from more first team action with another club whilst Cahill himself has said if those were the circumstances he would consider a return to Turf Moor.

O’Leary said, “No disrespect, but Gary picked up ten awards at Burnley but the Premiership is a far different league. He has done well and we have got him back and we’ll now have a look at him in pre-season.

“He’s a prospect with potential and hopefully he will come through for us. If he stands out in pre-season I won’t be afraid to promote him but maybe we will be looking at putting him out on loan again next season. Young lads can gain more by being out on loan, it toughens them up and it has improved Gary.”

O’Leary was also quick to praise Burnley and in particular manager Steve Cotterill, “I also would like to thank Steve Cotterill and Burnley because the way they looked after Gary was excellent.” He added, “They kept us informed about him and it has been a great experience for the lad.”

Cahill, who said before the end of the season that he wasn’t looking forward to leaving said, “If I’m playing in the reserves next season I may go and ask the manager about it because I want to be pushing on. It is always an option to return to Burnley if the manager thinks that I’m not quite ready to step up into the first team set-up at Villa.”