Steve Bruce’s future as Aston Villa manager is in doubt as he has still not been told by the club that they want him to continue in the midst of ongoing uncertainty about the scale of the financial problems caused by losing the Championship play-off final.

The failure to communicate with Bruce since Villa were narrowly beaten by Fulham over a fortnight ago is a sign of the confusion at Villa Park, with reports even claiming that owner Tony Xia is willing to sell up if he can find a buyer.

That has not been confirmed by anyone at the club, but Bruce is stuck in limbo and wants to address the matter urgently with the Villa hierarchy, even though he is supposed to be on holiday.

As things stand, Bruce would like to remain in charge and intends to mount another promotion challenge next season, but he will not stay if he does not have the full support of the board.

Significantly, the former Manchester United captain has not been reassured by Xia that he would like him to continue in a role he has held since October 2016 and, worryingly, there has been no information regarding the extent of the cost cutting which needs to take place.