Brentford manager Thomas Frank has 'ruled himself out' of the running to become the new Aston Villa manager, according to Birmingham Live journalist Ashley Preece.
The Lowdown: Bees beaten by Villa
Frank's team made the trip to Villa Park on Sunday afternoon but were soundly beaten 4-0, as the post-Steven Gerrard era in the Midlands started with a bang.
Ironically, the Brentford boss has been considered one of the front-runners to take the Villa job, with NSWE reportedly strong admirers of the 49-year-old, but he suffered a humbling experience at the hands of the Villans.
Following that result, the Dane clarified his situation regarding his current job and the Villa Park vacancy, dealing a potential blow to the latter club.
The Latest: Out of the running
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Preece relayed that Frank was out of the running to take over at Villa Park, instead preferring to stay put at Brentford, tweeting:
"Thomas Frank ruled himself out of the vacant #avfc gig earlier, while the Dane was complimentary towards Villa's set-piece department after that well-worked opener."
In the corresponding article for Birmingham Live, Frank promptly shut down any links with Villa, stating:
"I have a job and I love my job at Brentford. That’s what I’m focusing on. Right now, I’ve just lost 4-0 and the only thing I feel right now in my body is pain. I’m not spending too much time with all of the rumours, to be fair."
The Verdict: Shame to miss out on him
Having taken them into the Premier League and established them as a comfortable mid-table side, Frank is doing a superb job at Brentford, regardless of Sunday's result, so it is disappointing from a Villa perspective to hear that he will be remaining with the west London club.
With the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel and Ruben Amorim also seemingly ruling themselves out of contention, Villa are finding it tough to nail down Gerrard's replacement.
For now, Aaron Danks will continue as interim boss, but it is important that NSWE sort the managerial situation sooner rather than later.