LEICESTER'S Martin O'Neill closed the door on any approach from managerless Everton by signing a new deal to stay at Filbert Street into the next millennium yesterday.

O'Neill, who joined Leicester 18 months ago and led them to promotion to the Premiership via the play-offs at the first time of asking, has signed a new three-year contract with the Coca-Cola Cup winners.

He and his chairman Tom Smeaton promptly declared themselves delighted with the new contract - and O'Neill took time out later to defuse hints about his interest in the manager's job at Goodison Park.

The former Norwich and Wycombe boss, 45, dismissed such reports as `paper talk' and added with a grin: "I was the one who put all those news stories out."

O'Neill was in largely light-hearted mood, after signing what he said is the longest contract of his life.

But, as an up-and-coming manager who has been linked with umpteen high-profile vacancies in a still developing career, he did muse: "At the end of the day I think if you have done half reasonably and there are not that many others around, almost inevitably you will be linked with these jobs one way or another."