Millwall vs Aston Villa: Caretaker Kevin MacDonald back to help steady ship

That at least is the timeframe Villa’s board are currently working toward in their search for Steve Bruce’s replacement.

Ideally, chief executive Christian Purslow would like to have the new manager in place for when Swansea visit Villa Park on October 20.

Purslow is heading up the hunt for the club’s eighth new boss since September 2010, with the international break affording him some space in which to work.

The 54-year-old has barely been heard from since his appointment just five weeks ago, his only public utterances to date a few brief words included in the announcement of Jack Grealish’s new contract.

Instead he has been working quietly but busily behind the scenes, carrying out a review of the club’s finances, while also leading the search for the new sporting director.

With Bruce’s sacking, Purslow now has another big decision on his hands. Whoever Villa appoint will provide the clearest indication yet of the direction he, together with owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, wish to take the club.

Purslow has been involved in just one previous managerial search, during his time as managing director at Liverpool in 2010.

His decision to appoint Roy Hodgson proved rather less than successful, with the future Albion and England boss lasting less than six months at Anfield.

But that failure must also be placed in the context of a club which, at the time, was mired in a financial crisis. Purslow himself was only appointed at Liverpool – his first-ever job in football – to help guide them through the storm.

Villa also have their issues to deal with, most notably in relation to Financial Fair Play. But the acute cash crisis which engulfed the club during the summer was definitively ended by the arrival of Sawiris and Edens.

Purslow, just like the owners, is fiercely ambitious, viewing Villa as his chance to make a mark on the game after a successful career in business.

That makes a high-profile appointment – a Thierry Henry or John Terry – far more likely.

By the same token, the chief executive’s background in the City ensures the process will be seriously detailed, with an acceptance this is an appointment the club must get right.

Amid all the off-field news, tomorrow’s trip to The Den has almost become something of an afterthought. In reality, it is a key game, with MacDonald having the chance to make life significantly easier for whoever takes the reins on a full-time basis.

Should Villa win, they will head into the international break no worse than two points off the top six and very probably inside the top 10.

A defeat, however, would leave them in the bottom half and make the already considerable challenge facing the new man just that bit more tougher.

Assessing the mindset with which Villa will approach the game is far from easy.

Bruce might have failed to get results but he did not lose the players, the majority of whom are thought to have been left stunned by his departure. How they react is really anybody’s guess, though it also makes them dangerous opponents for a Millwall team who have won just once all season and sit two places off the bottom of the table.

Neil Harris’s men, who narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season, do at least have some momentum after fighting back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.

MacDonald’s biggest headache is in defence, with skipper James Chester suspended and Mile Jedinak struggling with a hamstring injury. James Bree could partner Axel Tuanzebe at centre-back.

Likely line-up:

Subs: Taylor, Bjarnason, Lansbury, Adomah, El Ghazi, Hogan, Nyland (gk).

Millwall (4-4-2): Amos, Romeo, Wallace, Cooper, Meredith, Skalak, Williams, Leonard, Ferguson, Morris, Gregory