O'Neill In Line For Anfield

Martin O’Neill is in line for a sensational return to football – as the next Liverpool boss.

Two of the consortiums trying to buy the Merseyside club want to take ex-Aston Villa chief O’Neill to Anfield if they are successful with proposed takeovers.

They rate O’Neill, 58, a far better bet to bring back the good times to the crisis-torn Reds than current Kop gaffer Roy Hodgson. That will be a massive blow to Hodgson as he battles to restore stability at Liverpool following his summer switch from Fulham.

The ex-Inter Milan coach is already ­under intense pressure after a shaky start to the season. His side head to Manchester United today having won just one of four league games.

Hodgson knows a change of ownership at the club is essential to make long-term progress. Yet, should that happen, he could well find himself surplus to requirements.

O’Neill stunned the football world last month when he quit Villa only five days before the new campaign kicked off.

He had become fed up with a change in direction under Villa owner Randy Lerner, which meant a drastic reduction in transfer funds.

However, his shock resignation now appears to have put him in position to assume the Liverpool reins - depending on the outcome of the club’s on-going power struggle.

Joint-owners Tom Hicks and Tom Gillett are refusing to sell their shareholding for anything less than £600m.

But that stance could be about to change as the Royal Bank of Scotland threaten to seize control of the club if the

Yanks fail to pay off debts totaling £280m before October 11.

The RBS would then sell Liverpool at a reduced price to one of a number of interested parties - bringing O’Neill’s name into the frame.

And there’s no question the ex-Celtic coach, linked with the Anfield hot seat throughout his career, would relish the challenge of steering Liverpool back to the top of English football.