Aston Villa have sacked head coach Steven Gerrard following their defeat by Fulham.
Gerrard returned to the Midlands with the manager of the Villa team with the players. He was expected to bid farewell to the team when he returned to his training ground at Bodymoor Heath.
The 42-year-old oversaw a 3-0 defeat by Fulham on Thursday night, with Villa announcing his departure an hour after full-time.
He leaves the club after a poor start to the season in which the Midlands club have won just two of their opening 11 Premier League games.
Brentford’s Thomas Frank is a manager admired by the Villa board and will be considered as part of the search to replace Gerrard.
Gerrard left Scottish Rangers to take over at Aston Villa in November 2021.
But the former Liverpool and England captain has presided over just eight wins this calendar year.
A Villa spokesman said: “We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
After a recent 1-1 draw against struggling Nottingham Forest, Gerrard had pointed the finger at his “big hitters”, saying: “There’s a lot of frustration there. I’ve challenged the forwards to give us more in that area of the pitch. We just need more quality from some of our big hitters.”
But while he had continued to strike an optimistic tone about reversing his side’s slump, a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea was followed by a 3-0 defeat at Fulham. Thursday night’s defeat also saw Douglas Luiz sent off for a headbutt.
Gerrard was heavily backed in the summer transfer window. He brought in Diego Carlos, Philippe Coutinho, Leander Dendoncker, Boubacar Kamara and Robin Olsen as he set about improving his squad.
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