GARY O’Neil shared how he “learned a lot” from playing under Sam Allardyce at West Ham, with the Cherries boss hopeful that the veteran boss succeeds in keeping Leeds United in the Premier League.

Former Bolton and Newcastle boss Allardyce has been drafted in as Leeds’ third boss of the season, with the Whites perilously placed heading into the final four games.

Whilst not currently in the relegation zone, the Whites have lost three of their last four games, conceding 16 times in the process.

Cherries’ 4-1 win over Leeds on Sunday spelled the end of Javi Gracia’s brief time in charge at Elland Road, whilst also moving the Dorset club to near safety.

It was under Allardyce at Upton Park that O’Neil took his first steps into coaching, after an ankle injury suffered during the Hammers’ relegation from the Premier League in 2011 kept the midfielder on the sidelines for a lengthy period.

In total, O’Neil played 47 times under Allardyce, winning promotion via the Championship play-offs before recording a 10th placed finish during West Ham’s first season back in the top flight.

Asked about his time with the former England manager at West Ham, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “Sam was my manager at West Ham, and I'd sort of just started thinking about sort of the coaching side then.

“I suffered a fairly significant injury just before Sam arrived, so I'd started to think about after.

“He was very extremely well organised. As a player, he was extremely easy to play for because you knew exactly what was expected of you.

“You knew your roles in all situations, real focus on set plays and how much of an impact they could have on football matches.

“Learned a lot from our time playing with Sam.

“Good guy as well. The way he managed the group, you felt like he was always in your corner when you played for him.

“So, yeah, he's obviously a successful manager, and he has an important four weeks coming up where he gets a chance to keep a massive club in the Premier League.

“Hope for him that he's successful.”

Allardyce’s first job since leaving West Brom in 2021 is his 14th in a 31-year managerial career.

Asked if he could still see himself in the dugout three decades down the line, O’Neil joked: “I'm not sure - I was thinking that the other day when I was analysing Chelsea and watching game after game after game – I'm thinking ‘25 years of this would be a tough ask!’

“But I am enjoying it. I absolutely love it.

“So if I start to get a little bit tired and fatigued, I'll definitely let you guys know.”