Aston Villa are in an abysmal rut at the moment.

The Villains have not picked up a win since Boxing Day and any hopes of a late surge for the play-offs have been firmly and categorically ended.

Instead, Aston Villa are in real danger of slipping into a relegation scrap.

Steve Bruce's side are just seven points clear of the drop zone following their 3-1 loss at home to Barnsley on Tuesday night and they will be peering cautiously over their shoulders.

With just one point in 2017, Aston Villa fans are beginning to question Steve Bruce.

His early influence appears to be waning and fans are turning on him.

This could force Tony Xia's hand and Steve Bruce could well be sacked as Villa boss as they try to find the right man for the job.

If Villa do sack Bruce, they need to consider appointing one of these three managers in his place.

Jaap Stam

Aston Villa's negotiation skills will have to be at their finest if they are to convince Stam to leave a promotion chasing Reading side to join lower mid-table Villa.

But Stam's suspicion of the owners is well documented and Reading are refusing to hand him a new contract until the summer at the earliest.

This uncertainty could play into Villa's hands and coupled with the pull of the "big club", they could tempt him into a long-term project in B6.

Gary Rowett

Birmingham fans would absolutely hate it if Gary Rowett went to Aston Villa but they have to target him.

Rowett was inexplicably sacked by the Blues earlier in the season and replaced by Gianfranco Zola, who has overseen a massive downturn in form.

The bright young English manager is in high demand after squeezing the best out of limited resources at Burton and Birmingham.

 

Alan Pardew

Alan Pardew is available after being sacked by Crystal Palace earlier in the season.

Pardew has Premier League pedigree after managing the likes of Palace, Newcastle and West Ham in the top flight.

It remains to be seen whether he'd drop down a division but he might be tempted by the Villa project.