Steven Gerrard has been sacked as manager of Aston Villa.
The former Liverpool midfielder was dismissed following a 3-0 defeat at Fulham on Thursday night.
10-man Villa were humiliated 3-0 at Craven Cottage, leaving them 17th in the table and placing Gerrard under more danger than at any time in his 11-month tenure.
Their next game is at home to Brentford on Sunday.
Villa fans openly vented their anger at the Liverpool legend last night and another poor display against Brentford, should Gerrard remain in charge, would trigger a mutiny at Villa Park.
Sportsmail understands the Midlands club, owned by billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, have already started to assess possible replacements and are prepared to pay one of the highest salaries in the Premier League to land an elite coach.
The pair are known to admire Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham boss, and have targeted the Argentine in the event of a change.
Pochettino has been out of work since leaving Paris St Germain in July and is recognised as one of Europe’s top coaches.
But the South American would likely need persuading of Villa’s long-term ambitions before considering a move to the Midlands given his desire to compete for top trophies.
