Aston Villa legend Dwight Yorke believes he is the ideal man to take charge at Villa Park following the departure of Tim Sherwood.

Former Tottenham coach Sherwood was axed as boss after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea left the Villans bottom of the Premier League table.

The 46-year-old oversaw just six wins out of 23 matches in charge – the shortest spell of any permanent Aston Villa manager.

Brendan Rodgers, David Moyes and former Lyon boss Remi Garde have all been linked with the vacancy, but Yorke has urged the club to give him a chance.

The ex-Villa and Manchester United striker claims his intimate knowledge of the Midlands outfit will help him turn the Villans’ season around, despite his lack of managerial experience.

“People are going to say I’m crazy for putting my name in the hat,” he told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast. “But I’ve been involved in football for a very long time and, having played for Aston Villa for ten years, I’ve looked at the club and seen the direction they’re heading in – it’s a dire situation.

“Yes, Tim was sacked yesterday and that’s very sad, but it’s a situation that’s been ongoing for around five years now.

“You look at the way Villa have spent their time in the Premier league, avoiding relegation just by the skin of their teeth. They’re bottom of the league now and it’s a very worrying time for the club.

“You look at their squad and think they should be doing much better than they did under Tim, but the most worrying thing is that their main rivals in the table, the likes of Leicester, West Brom and Stoke, they all have better squads and for me that is absolutely crazy!

“Aston Villa are supposed to be the biggest club in the Midlands, but they’re nowhere near. They think they are a big club but the reality is that Villa, certainly in the last five or six years, have been deteriorating rapidly and that’s why they’re at the bottom of the table.

“People will say I don’t have any experience, but we’ve seen people with experience go in there and struggle to do a job. I know that club inside out and I’ve looked at the squad, there’s enough in there to get them out in this position and there’s enough time as well.

“It’s whether the owners are prepared to give an aspiring young manager an opportunity.”

Yorke believes he offers his former side something the other managers currently available do not.

The ex-frontman, who was discovered in the West Indies by then-manager Graham Taylor and went on to score close to 100 goals in over 250 appearances for Villa, says his passion for the club and relationship with the fans will help bring a ‘spark’ back to Villa Park.

He added: “You look at the managers available now, it’s a merry-go-round. In the 30 years I’ve been involved in football it’s been the same people getting job after job, so why are young managers doing all their coaching badges but not getting that opportunity?

“There are young people ready to break into management and I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t put my name in the hat.

“Villa need something to really spark them up right now. I spent ten years there, I had a fantastic relationship with the fans there and I just feel when I look around at the managers up for grabs at the moment that they need something a bit more exciting to come in and really lift the place.”