Grayson the big mover as Solskjaer pulls out of Aston Villa race

Simon Grayson has shortened to just 6/1 to become the next Aston Villa manager after long odds-on favourite Ole Solskjaer ruled himself out of the running for the vacancy.

Although Solskjaer had never formally been offered the job, it seemed like a done deal that he would leave Molde in Norway for Villa Park after he was backed into 1/10 to take over.

However, the latest developments are that he has withdrawn himself from the running, citing family reasons for the decision.

Some Villa fans will be hopeful that the news is simply to cool press coverage in Norway, where Solskjaer has been the height of attention and the club can continue negotiations from a position out of the public eye.

This does seem unlikely, but some punters may want to snap up the 6/1 on the off chance.

Paul Lambert is now the 11/4 favourite in the market where there is now no obvious front runner and he also possesses many of the same attributes as Solskjaer.

Lambert is young, capable of improving an under-achieving team on a tight budget and has the general winning mentality.

The one problem that Villa may have is convincing Lambert that he is not second choice given the media frenzy that has revolved around Solskjaer.

This is unlikely to affect Grayson, who will undoubtedly jump at the opportunity to tackle Premier League management for the first time.

Grayson would not generate the same amount of enthusiasm as Solskjaer and has hardly set the world alight in his managerial career to date, gaining promotion twice from League One.

One benefit he may bring is a knowledge of lower-league football, which could be of use in the transfer market when there is little money to spend.