Steve Bruce could find himself back on the touchline soon as he remains the odds-on favourite to fill the managing void at Aston Villa.
The former Hull City boss has held "exploratory talks" with Villa on multiple occasions, according to Pat Murphy of the BBC, as Bruce appears to have moved ahead of a long list of candidates which include Burnley manager Sean Dyche, Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner, and others.
Bruce is an attractive option for the Championship side thanks to his experience helping teams win promotion to the Premier League - Birmingham City and Hull each won promotion on two occasions under his leadership.
Murphy adds that Villa's technical director Steve Round is an "admirer" of Bruce, but has yet to hold talks regarding the former Manchester United player's backroom staff and other specifics about the job.
Bruce has been out of a job since July when grew frustrated with Hull City's transfer policy before handing in his resignation. He was also interviewing to be the next England manager before Sam Allardyce was appointed.