Di Matteo was relieved of his duties on Monday morning.
Tim Sherwood has delivered his reaction to Aston Villa’s sacking of Roberto Di Matteo in an interview with Talksport on Monday.
Villa, who are 19th in the Championship with only one win to show for their opening 11 fixtures, are now seeking their third full-time boss, less than a year since Sherwood was given his marching orders at Villa Park.
And the 47-year-old has sympathy with his successor, whose side, he feels, were on the cusp of putting together a positive run of form.
“I’m disappointed for Roberto, obviously he knows as well as we all do it’s a results business,” Sherwood told Talksport.
“I’ve looked at a few of their performances, I think they’ve got good players – certainly capable of playing in this division and I think they were very close to putting a run together. He’ll be disappointed as much as them Villa fans are at the moment but they’ve decided to act.”
Former West Brom manager Steve Clarke has been handed the reins on a caretaker basis and Sherwood suggested the Scot, who had been working as Di Matteo’s assistant, could be the man to turn things around.
He added: “It looks like Steve Clarke’s going in there on a caretaker basis, maybe it might be his turn? It’s a year now since I’ve been in the job, and they have had three managers since. Something has to change.”
Sherwood conceded the money spent by Di Matteo during the summer transfer window – more than any other Championship club – only added to the pressure upon the Italian’s shoulders.
And the former Tottenham boss believes Villa early-season struggles have hindered them in other areas too.
He said: “The one thing I can say about that club is that their academy is excellent, and they have some real good kids coming through. But it’s hard to give those kids an opportunity to play when the team’s struggling so much.”
Bristol City’s Lee Johnson, Huddersfield’s David Wagner and former Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce are among the favourites to succeed Di Matteo.
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