Lerner flies in to interview prospective Villa managers
Published 23:00 07/06/11 By MirrorFootball
Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has started interviewing potential replacements for Gerard Houllier.
Villa’s wealthy US chairman flew into England yesterday to intensify the club’s managerial search, and he and chief executive Paul Faulkner hope to appoint a new boss by early next week.
Among those in the running are Steve McClaren, Rafa Benitez and Mark Hughes.
Martin Jol was also on Villa’s short-list but has now joined Fulham instead.
Lerner wants to pin down Houllier’s successor to a long-term contract to bring the club some much-needed stability.
Houllier was the third man in charge last season after Martin O’Neill and caretaker Kevin MacDonald.
Lerner has been a long-time admirer of former Wales, Blackburn and Man City boss Hughes.
O’Neill even named-checked Hughes as his potential replacement in a speech at the club’s end of season dinner in 2010.
But Hughes’ appointment would be controversial after he left Fulham last week claiming that he had no new club to go to.
