Brentford manager Thomas Frank is 'under consideration' to become Aston Villa's new boss after Steven Gerrard's sacking, according to journalist Gregg Evans.

The Lowdown: Gerrard sacked by Villa

The Villans suffered a dire night at the office on Thursday evening, losing 3-0 away to Fulham in what felt like a must-win Premier League clash for Gerrard.

The 42-year-old was swiftly sacked soon after the final whistle, as his increasingly disappointing tenure at Villa Park reached its conclusion.

Villa are now on the search for a new manager and although Mauricio Pochettino has been strongly linked, it looks as though they could go shopping within the Premier League, following a new update.

The Latest: Frank in contention

Taking to Twitter, Evans revealed Nassef Sawiris was actually in attendance at Craven Cottage and that Brentford boss Frank is now seen as a possible successor to Gerrard:

"Nassef Sawiris was at FFC tonight and left early into the defeat.

"Understand Thomas Frank is now under consideration as AVFC weigh up the next move."

The Verdict: Would be a strong appointment

Frank, who likes an attacking 4-3-3 system, has done a superb job at Brentford, guiding them into the top flight, playing some good football along the way and turning them into a team looking unlikely to be threatened by relegation.

For that reason, he would be a strong candidate to come in and take charge, bringing with him modern ideas and a ball-playing approach to a club with much greater resources than his current home.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter said this week that the 49 year-old is very similar to him in terms of the way they approach the game and life in general, and based on his incredible rise through the ranks you'd bank Frank to make an impact at Villa.

Whether or not the Bees boss, labelled 'fantastic' by Potter, would be happy to leave Brentford remains to be seen, but the likely offer of larger wages at a bigger club could be too great to turn down.