Aston Villa need to replace Steve Bruce and Sky Sports say former Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy would be keen on the Championship job.
Mick McCarthy has been an ever present in the Championship over the last few years, so no wonder the 59-year-old is keen to return to management with one of the biggest clubs in the second tier in need of a new main man.
Aston Villa sacked Steve Bruce on Wednesday after a run of one win in ten games. And, according to Sky Sports, McCarthy would love to speak with the Midland club, six months after walking out of Ipswich Town.
But, after two largely underwhelming years under Steve Bruce, would McCarthy simply be a sideways step?
McCarthy can point to an impressive Championship record, having won promotion from the second tier twice as champions with Sunderland and Wolves. But so can the man Villa sacked in midweek. Bruce earned promotion four times, twice more than McCarthy.
It is fair to say many Villa fans wanted a break from the less than thrilling style of play Bruce instilled over the last 24 months.
With the likes of Jack Grealish, Jonathan Kodjia and Yannick Bolasie plying their trade in claret and blue, hiring the famously pragmatic McCarthy would hardly represent a stylistic improvement on paper.
After all, the veteran coach spent the last few years frequently at odds with Ipswich fans because of his allegedly overly cautious approach.
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