Aston Villa have sacked manager Steve Bruce in a major move by the Championship club’s new owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.

Bruce’s stormy reign at Villa Park has come to an end after nearly two years in charge, with new chief executive Christian Purslow leading the search for a replacement.

Former Villa defender John Terry, Thierry Henry and Brentford’s Dean Smith are emerging as early contenders to succeed Bruce. Villa are aiming to make an appointment before the home game against Swansea on October 20.

Jorge Mendes, the super-agent, has links to Villa’s new board and could assist in the hunt for a new manager.

Paulo Fonseca, the Shakhtar Donetsk manager, is a Mendes client and has been mentioned as a possible candidate in recent weeks, though an appointment seems unlikely.

Villa supporters have turned on Bruce after a dismal start to the campaign credit: Getty Images

Villa made the decision to dismiss Bruce, 57, after a torrid run of one victory from ten games, with patience finally snapping after Tuesday’s 3-3 chaotic draw with Preston North End.

Many supporters have turned on Bruce after the dismal start to the campaign and one irate fan even hurled a cabbage at him before Tuesday’s game kicked off.

Purslow had always intended to give Bruce until October’s international break to mount a revival but results and performances have been a huge disappointment.

Despite financial restrictions, Bruce still managed to sign Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and Everton’s Yannick Bolasie on loan before the summer transfer window closed, yet the desired improvement in form has not been forthcoming.

Bruce was axed after talks with Purslow on Wednesday afternoon. It is understood many of the players have been left deeply shocked and disappointed by the decision.

Villa’s club’s statement read: “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that manager Steve Bruce and his assistants Colin Calderwood, Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence and Gary Walsh are leaving their posts with immediate effect after having their contracts terminated. The process to appoint a new manager is under way.

“We would like to place on record our gratitude to Steve and his team for their hard work and commitment. We wish them well for the future.

“The process of recruiting a new manager has begun. In the meantime, Kevin MacDonald, Aston Villa U23s manager, will be in charge of the team for our trip to Millwall on Saturday.”

Terry, a former Villa captain, is one of the favourites to take over, possibly as player-manager, while Arsenal legend Henry has support on the board. Villa were forced to release a statement in August insisting that Bruce’s job was safe, amid reports that Henry was coming in as manager.

John Terry is one of the favourites to replace Steve Bruce credit: Reuters

Brentford’s highly-regarded head coach Smith is also likely to figure in Villa’s thoughts. A Villa supporter as a youngster, Smith has established an impressive reputation at Griffin Park for an attractive brand of football.

It was undoubtedly Bruce’s style of play that compelled Villa to take action, with supporters running out of patience with the Geordie last season.

Though much has been made of his links with rivals Birmingham, it was Bruce’s one-dimensional brand of football that ultimately ended his tenure. There also seemed to be no clear identity or long-term plan, with Bruce stockpiling players at high cost in a bid to earn promotion back to the Premier League.

Bruce guided Villa to the Championship play-off final last season, which they lost to Fulham, and then experienced a difficult summer as former owner Dr Tony Xia endured cash-flow issues. Jack Grealish, the attacker, was informed that he would have to be sold until Sawiris and Edens completed their majority takeover in July.

Aston Villa needed a last-gasp equaliser to rescue a point against Preston on Tuesday night credit: Getty Images

However, the threat of punishment from the English Football League over breaking spending rules has been hanging over Villa and ensured Bruce was unable to make many substantial transfers. Villa were still big payers, though, agreeing to meet all of Bolasie’s £70,000 a week wages.

With results going awry, Bruce turned on supporters last month after the 2-0 win over Rotherham and referred to some as “the mad few”.

The game against Preston was a typically frenetic end to his reign, with Villa throwing away a two-goal lead, recovering to level in added time and then missing a 97th minute penalty.

Bruce’s time was certainly up, but is difficult not to feel sympathy for a man who lost both his parents last year. He was rightly proud of his record of four promotions and stabilised the club during a turbulent time.

He does not deserve to be remembered in Villa history as the man who evaded a cabbage.