Aston Villa interim boss Eric Black has claimed that the club need a manager that can build a squad able to cope with the "physicality" of the Championship.

The Midlands outfit were officially relegated to the second-tier division at the weekend following their 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday.

Villa are hunting for a new manager following the sacking of Remi Garde last month.

"The Championship is going to be very difficult," Black told the club's official website. "I don't think anyone is under any illusion about that. The fixture list goes up, there's more games.

"The physicality of the division is different to the Premier League too. We're a big, big fish in that division also. There are all these elements to consider. It's going to be a tough challenge, and a fantastic challenge.

"I'm sure whoever takes over here will ensure that work ethic from day one. I don't have any doubt about that. If that's the case and the club get the right squad together then there's no reason why we can't bounce straight back. But it certainly won't be an easy task."

David Moyes and Nigel Pearson are among the managers to have been linked to the post.