Kevin MacDonald today threw his hat into the ring to be Villa’s full-time boss today as the club stepped up their manager search.

Following three weeks of uncertainty over his intentions, MacDonald has informed chairman Randy Lerner he wants to be considered as a candidate to replace Martin O’Neill.

It is understood Villa’s hierarchy have drawn up a five-man shortlist for the job. However, that list is not thought to include either Fulham chief Mark Hughes or Everton boss David Moyes.

Odds on Moyes taking over the Claret and Blues tumbled from as long as 40-1 to 2/1 yesterday after a rush of bets on the Scot.

However, Moyes’ surge to the top of the bookmakers’ list does not reflect any move for him on Villa’s part.

A handshake with Villa owner Randy Lerner following his Toffees team’s 1-0 defeat at Villa Park on Sunday has been attributed as the reason behind his odds drastically shortening.

Moyes was one of the first managers to distance himself from the post when O’Neill quit three weeks ago and signed a five-year deal with the Goodison Park club in October 2008.
Lerner and Paul Faulkner began the interview process with their first candidate yesterday.

And, although the chief executive’s statement identified Premier League experience as a key quality, that is not expected to count against MacDonald.

The reserve-team chief has been handed further backing by Luke Young, who scored Sunday’s winner. “I have worked with Kev and know he knows football inside out,” he said.

“He knows tactics and formations and can see what is going right and what is going wrong.

“I have played under a few people who don’t know half as much as what Kev does.

“Even if he wasn’t in charge if he came up to me on a Monday after a game and said ‘well played’ it meant quite a lot. You respect his opinion.”

MacDonald has won two, drawn one and lost two of his five games in temporary charge.

Everything points to Villa having a new boss in place by the time they resume Premier League action after the two-week international break with a trip to Stoke City.

Villa are expecting a quiet end to the transfer window ahead of today’s 6pm deadline, with the club determined to resist any late Tottenham bid for Ashley Young.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has made no secret of his admiration for the winger and has hinted he plans to test Villa’s resolve before the window shuts.