Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has insisted that assistant head coach John Terry is 'fully committed' to his job at Aston Villa, amid reports linking him to the Bristol City job.

The post at Ashton Gate became available this time last week. Lee Johnson was sacked after a 1-0 defeat at home to Cardiff City in the Championship, bringing an end to a four year tenure for the ex-Robins player.

Several names have so far been linked with the job, including ex-Newcastle and Brighton boss Chris Hughton. Though Terry has emerged as a surprise candidate for the role this week, having allegedly 'declared an interest' in the job.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Smith said on Terry:

"I have spoken to John and he is fully committed to our cause here at Aston Villa. I don't think we can look at the summer, we've got to look at now.

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"They've got Dean Holden, a former coach of mine, in charge at the moment. He is working hard for his club and JT is certainly working very hard for me. We've got a very good relationship and we enjoy working together."

Smith then won't rule out the possibility of Bristol City moving for Terry in the summer. Some other names that have been linked with the vacancy include a one-time Bristol City manager in Tony Pulis, as well as Rangers boss Steven Gerrard.

A 3-1 win at Middlesbrough yesterday saw Bristol City claim their second win in two since Johnson's departure, going three points behind 6th-place Cardiff, and with three games of the season remaining.

The verdict

Terry came out as a surprise candidate for the role. He's not yet had any experience as the first-team manager, but he will have gained some valuable experience under Smith at Villa, especially this season in the Premier League.

Though the search seems to be bypassing Terry - perhaps Bristol City will stick with a caretaker until the summer, and reassess then. It could end up being a battle between Terry and Gerrard for the job though, with Hughton and Pulis seemingly ill-favoured by the fans.