Pundit and former Aston Villa star Dion Dublin has name-checked Sean Dyche as a possible successor to Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard.

The Lowdown: Gerrard speculation

Gerrard’s future has been a hot topic of conversation following Sunday’s defeat to Chelsea at Villa Park.

Reports from Football Insider on Monday have gone as far as saying that the club have decided to sack the 42-year-old and that his exit could be formalised by the end of the week.

Mauricio Pochettino and Unai Emery have been sounded out as potential replacements, however, Dublin has thrown two more names into the ring, should NSWE be on the hunt for a new boss.

The Latest: Dublin’s comments

Dublin, who now contributes for the BBC, was talking to The Daily Express regarding possible Gerrard successors. He said that Dyche and Rafa Benitez could be ‘good replacements’ and are currently out of work.

"The only managers I can think of off the top of my head out of work [who would be good replacements] are Sean Dyche and Rafa Benitez. Is there any symmetry between those two managers? I'm not quite sure, but they are the two I can think of out of work."

The Verdict: Not sure

Dyche, who had a famous bust-up with Villa captain John McGinn, has been out of work since April after parting ways with Burnley. The Englishman spent just shy of ten years at Turf Moor and had done an impressive job on a tight budget with the Clarets.

However, should Villa sack Gerrard, you’d expect that NSWE would want a big name to take them to the next level like Pochettino. Persuading the Argentine may prove to be a challenge, though, which could possibly open the door to one of Dublin’s suggestions, but a move for Dyche at this moment in time appears like a safety net.