Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand not interested in Aston Villa job

Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Aston Villa job.

Hjulmand was one of a number of names under consideration by the Villa hierarchy after Dean Smith was relieved of his duties following the 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Friday night - the club's fifth Premier League loss in a row.

Denmark enjoyed a successful Euro 2020 campaign under Hjulmand, reaching the semi-finals despite star player Christian Eriksen suffering a cardiac arrest in the group stage.

The 49-year-old has also guided his country to the 2022 World Cup with two games to spare and a 100% record in qualifying so far.

It is perhaps little surprise, then, that Hjulmand is keen to continue his journey with Denmark's national team.

"I'm happy to be the Danish national coach, and I'm not going anywhere right now," he told Danish publication Ekstra Bladet when asked about Aston Villa's interest in him.

"I think I have only just started and I am in the process of finding out what this team can do. I love the job.

"For me, it is a big challenge to see how far we can go [and] how well we can get to play, because we have a very exciting team."

90min understands Hjulmand was one of a number of names under consideration by Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow, alongside Roberto Martinez, Paulo Fonseca, Graham Potter and Ralf Rangnick - although Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is their first-choice candidate.

It is believed that Villa's billionaire owners Nassef Sawiris and Wesley Edens are keen on a big name, but the ability of the new manager is paramount, and Purslow believes Gerrard ticks every box.

While Rangers are adamant they do not want to lose their title-winning manager, they will not stand in Gerrard's way if he asks to leave Ibrox.

With the international break now underway, Villa are 'confident' that their new manager will be in place before their next Premier League fixture against Brighton on 20 November.