Here, Press Association Sport looks at the contenders for the Villa Park hot-seat.

GARY McALLISTER

Houllier's assistant, McAllister stood in for the Frenchman for the final five games of the season as he recuperated following chest pains. Impressed in the role with Villa finishing strongly, winning at Arsenal before beating Liverpool to finish ninth. Has had previous managerial experience at Coventry and Leeds.

MARK HUGHES

Linked with the job before Villa moved for Houllier, Welshman Hughes enjoyed a successful first year with Fulham. The Cottagers finished in eighth place in the Barclays Premier League and qualified for the Europa League via the Fair Play ruling. Started out with Wales before joining Blackburn. Spent four years at Ewood Park before moving to Manchester City. Was sacked by City's new Middle Eastern owners in December 2009 after 16 months in charge.

RAFAEL BENITEZ

The former Liverpool boss has regularly spoken of his desire to return to the Premier League after a short, and unsuccessful, spell in charge of Inter Milan. Benitez inherited an Inter side which had won the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble under Jose Mourinho but was sacked last December with the club seventh in the Italian top flight. Enjoyed mixed results with Liverpool, the highlight being the remarkable Champions League win over AC Milan in 2005.

DAVID MOYES

Moyes could be willing to leave Everton due to the Merseyside club's financial restrictions. Moyes has performed wonders in establishing the Toffees as a regular top-eight side in the Premier League on a modest budget. Started his managerial career with Preston before moving to Goodison Park in 2002.

STEVE McCLAREN

McClaren is currently out of work after being sacked by German outfit Wolfsburg in February. Joined the Bundesliga club after guiding FC Twente to the Dutch Eredivisie title. Tried to rebuild his reputation abroad after a dismal spell as England manager which culminated in a failure to qualify for Euro 2008. Previously assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, McClaren started his managerial career at Middlesbrough, guiding the Teessiders to the 2004 League Cup title and the 2006 UEFA Cup final.