Who will replace Remi Garde at Aston Villa? We look at five contenders

Remi Garde has left Aston Villa after just five months and with the club rock bottom of the Premier League table.

Villa are 12 points from safety with seven games remaining and are set to be relegated to the Sky Bet Championship. Here we look at the contenders to replace Garde. Vote in our poll at the bottom of the article

1. Nigel Pearson

The former Leicester manager is available and has the experience to guide Villa back into the Barclays Premier League. The club and team needs a shake up which the 52-year-old would do although he would want total control over transfers meaning Villa would have to accommodate him alongside their new football board, headed by ex-Football Association chairman David Bernstein. Pearson won the Sky Bet Championship with Leicester in 2014 before guiding them to safety in 2015 and most of his old squad have helped the Foxes to the brink of a shock top-flight title success.

2. David Moyes

It would take a lot to tempt the ex-Manchester United manager to Villa Park now the club are set for the Championship. But Moyes' unhappy spells at Real Sociedad and Old Trafford means he will have to set his sights lower and could be within Villa's reach. Villa have spoken to him in the past – although that was when Moyes' and the club's stock was much higher. He has not managed in the second tier since leaving Preston for Everton in 2002 but is a builder and Villa need rebuilding from the ground up.

3. Garry Monk

Out of work after harshly being sacked by Swansea in December the 37-year-old kept the Welsh side in the Barclays Premier League during his 18 months in charge. He was part of the Swans squad to win promotion via the play-offs in 2011 and knows the league having played in it, although has never managed in the Championship. His footballing philosophy would be welcome at Villa and Monk has already said he is looking to get back into management and Villa could be an ideal fit.

4. Steve McClaren

The ex-England manager needs to rebuild his own managerial career just as much as Villa need to repair their battered reputation. Dismissed in March after a disastrous nine months in charge of Newcastle and implosion at Derby in 2014-15, McClaren would not be a popular choice but is available. He was rejected by Villa in 2011 after supporters voiced their opposition and there would be similar feeling again. He has been most recently spotted sunning himself on a beach in the Caribbean.

5. Steve Bruce

The Hull City boss has been linked with Villa already but with his Tigers side faltering in the Championship promotion race he is unlikely to be a popular choice. A spell as manager of Birmingham would also count against him in the eyes of the Villa fans who expect the board to get the appointment right. Bruce knows the Championship and has a proven track record of getting teams promoted and Villa need second-tier know-how.