The former Manchester United striker was reportedly offered the job by Villa owner Randy Lerner, but he rejected the move.
"I had a very open, honest and very nice dialogue with Mr Lerner and he really understood my decision. He was really understanding," he told reporters.
Molde won their league last season.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Manchester CityMan City | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 3 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 7 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Chelsea | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| 9 | Brentford | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Bournemouth | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 12 | Fulham | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 14 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| 15 | Leicester CityLeicester | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 2 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 2 |
| 17 | Ipswich TownIpswich | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 2 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 1 |
| 19 | Southampton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 0 |
| 20 | Everton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 0 |
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