Former Leeds United and Aston Villa manager Dave O'Leary has admitted to having been surprised when the FAI handed the Republic of Ireland manager's job to Steve Staunton a year ago.

Speaking yesterday at the Mater private hospital in Dublin, where he was unveiling highly sophisticated heart imaging equipment, the former long-time Arsenal defender said the news had come out of the blue after a surprise visit from the Dundalk native.

"I don't know Stephen well and I don't know about his coaching abilities," said O'Leary. "He came up to see me at Aston Villa (to ask if Kevin MacDonald could become part of his management team) and I didn't know what it was about.

"He sat me down and said to me: 'Do you know why I am here?' And, on my dad's life, I hadn't a clue that he was about to get the Ireland job. I hadn't heard. I didn't know. Being honest, the move surprised me because he had no youth-team experience, no anything experience, but I just wished him well."

Asked about his own ambitions for the future O'Leary conceded: "I'd love, one day, to manage my country. Things like that are what you dream about. But I have always felt that you should get your day-to-day stuff out of your system first.

"I have unfinished business to attend to. The national job is the icing on the cake and I would like to do it after getting club football out of my system."