John Terry, Thierry Henry linked with vacant Aston Villa managerial position

Championship side Aston Villa confirmed on Wednesday that manager Steve Bruce was sacked by the club after a disastrous start to the league, with the team winning just 3 matches in its first 11 games. The former Wigan Athletic and Sunderland manager had taken the side to the playoff final last season, only to lose to Fulham in the last hurdle.

Now, reports have emerged that former Aston Villa player, John Terry, could be one of the candidates for the job, while former Arsenal and Barcelona player, Thierry Henry, is also linked with the role at the Villans.

Terry played a key role in Villa's campaign last year, captaining and helping the team to a fourth place finish in the Championship. The former England and Chelsea player was rumoured to be offered the role of head coach of Chelsea's U-23 team this past week, while he was also linked to a move to Russia and Spartak Moscow.

The central defender has no managerial experience, but his great leadership qualities will hold him in good stead when he eventually becomes a manager.

Henry, meanwhile, is the second assistant coach to Roberto Martinez in the Belgium national side, after a brief spell learning the craft in Arsenal. The Frenchman has been part of the Belgium set-up for two years now, and his influence in the team has shown on the pitch as star striker Romelu Lukaku has credited the Frenchman for the improvement in his game, while the Belgians also reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

The former Arsenal star was linked with the Villa job over the summer, but he squashed those rumours by saying that he hasn't spoken to any club. He was also in the running to become manager of French side Bordeaux, but a reported disagreement led to him not joining the club.

Sam Allardyce is also in the running for the Aston Villa job, while Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca is the leading man, according to reports.