Aston Villa are understood to have been deterred from making Tim Sherwood their new manager by Chris Ramsey's appointment at Queens Park Rangers.
Sherwood was immediately installed as favourite to replace Paul Lambert, who was sacked on Wednesday with the club in the Premier League relegation zone.
The 46-year-old made a name for himself during an impressive six-month spell in charge of Tottenham Hotspur last season, having previously overseen the running of the club's academy for several years.
Ramsey, confirmed as QPR interim boss this week, and Les Ferdinand, the new director of football at Loftus Road, were key members of Sherwood's team at White Hart Lane and Villa are believed to be concerned about bringing in Sherwood without them.
Sky Sports News reports that Villa are wary of having another manager flying solo, having seen Lambert struggle in the wake of number two Roy Keane quitting in November to concentrate on his Republic of Ireland role.
With Sherwood, who had been strongly linked with the vacancies at Rangers and West Bromwich Albion, perhaps slipping out of contention, USA boss Jurgen Klinsmann is believed to be the leading candidate.
Joe Fish
