Bruce replaced Roberto Di Matteo at Aston Villa on Wednesday, with Wolverhampton Wanderers his first opponents.
New Aston Villa boss Bruce
New Aston Villa appointment Steve Bruce admits he could have been Wolverhampton Wanderers boss, the Express & Star reports.
Bruce was sworn in as Roberto Di Matteo’s replacement earlier this week and takes charge of his first Villa fixture against Wolves on Saturday.
The 56-year-old has been out of work since leaving Hull City in the middle of pre-season, at which point Wolves were without a manager.
Inevitably, the former Birmingham City boss found himself linked with the Molineux post, having achieved four second-tier promotions and with a house in the Midlands.
Eight days later however, Wolves hired the former Italian international goalkeeper Walter Zenga, who will be keen halt the Bruce honeymoon before it’s even begun.
Wolves boss Zenga (right)
Asked if he was close to taking the reins at Molineux, the former Manchester United defender replied: “No I don’t think I was close. It was the timing really. I’d just left Hull and it wasn’t the right time so I wasn’t really close.”
However, Bruce did admit that he could have been the Wolves boss four years earlier, after Mick McCarthy’s sacking: “I thought I had it then. Then there was a change of heart at midnight,” he said before quipping: “I didn’t go to the pictures on Wednesday night, I have to tell you, in case I got the phone call that they (Aston Villa) changed their minds!”
Former Wolves boss McCarthy
Villa go into Saturday’s teatime encounter five points and seven places worse off than Wolves, with just a single win to their name all season.
Remarkably, all four of Bruce’s promotions have arrived during his last four seasons at this level.
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