Martin O'Neill Is Aston Villa's Sir Alex Ferguson - Brad Friedel

Aston Villa 'keeper Brad Friedel believes Martin O'Neill is a manager of the same calibre as the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho.

"I'm sure that if you went to Carrington, you would immediately know who was in charge - Sir Alex," he told Sky Sports.

"I'm sure it would be the same at Arsenal and at Chelsea when Mourinho was there," he added.

"It's the same here with the manager.

"At all those places, one thing would ring absolutely true - and that is that they were the boss."

Friedel believes the manager needs to be an authoritative figure, otherwise there will be problems.

"There are clubs when you can tell the manager is not the top guy and that's when things seep through and the cracks appear.

"Make no mistake about it - there is no one here ever in any doubt about who is the boss."

The American also praised O'Neill's mind, claiming that the Villains manager is razor sharp.

"He may sometimes act as if he's not sure of something, but he doesn't miss a thing. He is a fascinating and intelligent man."

Owen Watson, Goal.com