BLACKBURN Rovers boss Sam Allardyce has given Martin O'Neill a 48-hour deadline to sign left-back Steven Warnock - or he will be back in his side. (The Mirror)

BLACKBURN Rovers boss Sam Allardyce has given Martin O'Neill a 48-hour deadline to sign left

-back Steven Warnock - or he will be back in his side. (The Mirror)

Allardyce left out Warnock from the Sunderland trip at the weekend, as revealed exclusively by Football Spy, but the clubs have yet to agree a fee.

Villa have offered up to �8 million for England hopeful Warnock and O'Neill wanted the deal done in time for the former Liverpool prospect to face his old club tonight.

But the Rovers boss is digging in for more cash and would like �8m plus extras and he is willing to drive a hard bargain because of the problems the sale will cause.

Allardyce will be without skipper Ryan Nelsen for a few weeks and has limited options at the back. Warnock is down to be in the team at Gillingham in the Coca Cola Cup tomorrow night.

And Rovers are prepared to pick Warnock - making him ineligible for the competition - unless Villa come up with the cash they want before the game.

Allardyce claimed Warnock's 'head was messed around' by the latest Villa offer and the player was left behind to train on his own as relations between them grew strained.

There has been a mounting tension since Villa first came in for Warnock, with Allardyce overlooking him as captain and giving Paul Robinson the armband when Nelsen was out of the first game.

However the left-back has not asked away or refused to play, although that may change if Rovers ask too much for him or select him for the Gillingham game.