Ex-Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish names manager he believes should replace Roberto Di Matteo

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The Villans parted company with the Italian after a disappointing start to the Championship season.

Former Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish

Former Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has told the Daily Mirror that Steve Bruce is the right man to take the club forward following Roberto Di Matteo’s departure.

The Italian was dismissed in the wake of the Villans’ 2-0 defeat to Preston North End at the weekend, which left them languishing in the bottom-half of the Championship table with just one win from opening 11 league games.

Roberto Di Matteo

And while McLeish has admitted that he had sympathy for Di Matteo, he insisted that Bruce was the ideal candidate for the role before commenting on whether his spell in charge of Birmingham City, which ended just under a decade ago, will hurt his chances of winning over the fans.

“I feel sorry for Di Matteo to get sacked so soon, people don’t have any patience and I think that is wrong. But Brucie is a very trustworthy guy and very experienced,” he told the Mirror.

Steve Bruce

“I think it is a bit different from mine because I went immediately across the water as such.

“Brucie has been a long time away from Birmingham City. But there is always a faction. When I was at Villa there was a small minority who made the biggest noise.”

The Mirror reports that Bruce is currently the front-runner on a shortlist that also includes Huddersfield boss David Wagner and Steve McClaren.

Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner is also reportedly in the running

And while the other two both deserve to be linked with a club of Villa’s stature, it is perhaps clear to see why McLeish is so confident about Bruce’s chances of success if he was to be appointed.

The 55-year-old has secured promotion out of the second tier on four occasions during his managerial career, including last season when Hull City went up via the play-offs.

And McLeish – who knows all about the uphill battle that a former Birmingham boss faces taking over at Villa – appears to be more than confident that Bruce is capable of earning his fifth promotion back to the top flight.