Aston Villa: David Wagner emerges as top target for Villa Park as they seek to replace sacked Roberto di Matteo

Former Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion manager Di Matteo was sacked after just 123 days in charge of the Championship strugglers

David Wagner, the current Huddersfield Town manager, is reportedly being lined up as a replacement to Di Matteo (Getty)

David Wagner is Aston Villa’s favoured candidate to replace the sacked Roberto di Matteo as manager at Villa Park.

Former Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion manager Di Matteo was sacked after just 123 days in charge of the Championship strugglers having won just one game since succeeding Remi Garde following the club’s relegation last season.

And despite sanctioning a £25m summer spending spree, new Villa owner Dr Tony Xia has now chosen to dismiss Di Matteo in an effort to give the new manager time to inspire a surge for the play-offs.

Former Birmingham City and Hull City manager Steve Bruce is understood to be one of the names being considered by Xia and Steve Round, Villa’s recently-appointed technical director.

But Wagner’s success at Huddersfield since arriving last November from a coaching role at Borussia Dortmund has placed him at the top of Xia and Round’s list of targets.

The 44-year-old, who spent four years working alongside Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, has transformed Huddersfield’s fortunes and lifted the Yorkshire club to the top of the Championship as they seek to return to the top flight for the first time since 1972.

Huddersfield are expected to fight to keep Wagner at the John Smith’s Stadium, however, forcing Villa to consider the prospect of a costly compensation figure for the German.