Steven Gerrard has yet to inform Conor Hourihane about his future at Aston Villa.
But the Ireland midfielder is convinced he has played his last game for the Premier League club as his contract expires in the summer.
Hourihane, 31, is enjoying a new lease of life on a season-long loan at Championship playoff contenders Sheffield United.
At Christmas, he first raised doubts about a Villa future beyond this summer.
And yesterday, Hourihane - who is preparing to face Belgium on Saturday - was asked if he had any clarity from Gerrard since then.
“Nothing to be honest with you,” he said. “When I went on loan for the season with Sheffield United, I obviously wanted to do well.
“Since the new manager (Paul) Heckingbottom has come in, I felt I’ve done well for him. I had a previous relationship with him at Barnsley.
“That Villa chapter is probably done. There have been no conversations there so we’ll see what happens in the summer.”
Hourihane has no solid offers on the table as of yet, but isn’t stressing out.
“I’ve been quite casual about it,” he said. “Fortunately for me, it’s the first time in my career that I’ve been out of contract.
“It’s important to keep playing well for Sheffield United as I’ve been in the team.
“Same with Ireland, if I get in the team and get some minutes, we’ll see what happens come the summer.”
Cork man Hourihane would love to play in the Premier League one more time - but insists it’s not the be all and end all.
He added: “I’ve been fortunate enough to have been there for a couple of years and it’s fantastic, it’s the best league in the world, the most-watched league in the world.
“I’d love to get back there if possible, I’d love to be able to get a couple of more appearances at the top level.
“We can always dream but whether that will happen, time will tell.
“It’s up to myself between now and the end of the season to put in as many good performances as I can and see what happens come the summer.”
Meanwhile, Hourihane admits the Ireland players are on their toes after catching a glimpse of Stephen Kenny's ruthless streak.
The Ireland boss proved there is no room for sentiment in the game when he wielded the axe on Jamie McGrath last week.
The midfielder, 25, has been an important player for Kenny - his former Dundalk boss - since making his debut against Andorra last summer.
But his move from Scottish top flight side St Mirren to League One high-flyers Wigan Athletic on the January deadline day has turned into a nightmare.
McGrath has only made three appearances - and just one in the league - and paid the ultimate price by being dropped for the Belgium and Lithuania friendlies.
Sitting second in the table, Wigan are reluctant to tinker with a winning formula and McGrath may not get a run of games before the summer, forcing Kenny’s hand this week.
And Hourihane admits that McGrath’s omission has the rest of the squad on their toes.
They know they could be next if they wobble at club level and Hourihane said: “Look, Jamie has obviously done fantastically well and hasn’t been picked this time for whatever reason.
“It keeps everyone on their toes, as simple as that really. You need to be playing as much as you can, playing consistently well of course, getting a bit of luck in staying away from injuries.
“There are lots of factors to it but it gives everyone that little bit of a reminder that you have to be doing it at your club, getting those minutes in, to get into the squad.”
Hourihane, 31, knows his own international career could have floundered had he not moved on loan to Swansea City initially and now the Blades.
Capped 32 times for Ireland, the Corkman has made the cut for Saturday’s friendly with the world’s top-ranked side Belgium, and Lithuania on Tuesday.
Hourihane said: “The last 18 months I’ve been out on loan twice now.
“I’m not getting any younger I suppose and the international stage is something that’s at the back of your mind all the time.
“You want to get your minutes, to make sure you’re in the squad and, ultimately as well, I just love playing the game.
“When I wasn’t playing at Villa for three or four months, I wanted to get out and play because you want that buzz on a Saturday or a Tuesday.
“That’s been my reason to make sure I’ve been playing over the last 18 months because your career flashes before your eyes and before you know it you’re finishing up.
“It was everything into one really, between Ireland and just playing in general really. It’s what it’s all about.”
And Hourihane wants to stay rooted in the squad for the next two years at least after Kenny signed his contract extension.
“The manager has got his well-deserved contract, which is great,” he said.“Exciting times, and we feel like we have turned a corner.
“The manager had a really tough time when he first took over with Covid cases and pull-outs and it got to a ridiculous stage for a country like ourselves.
“We haven’t got the luxury of loads and loads of players and we had countless amounts of covid dropouts at one stage.
“Hopefully we have seen the back of that and hopefully we can kick on now with the positive results we have had in the last couple of camps.”
