Bradley raises pressure on MacDonald by admitting interest in 'massive club'
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Your support makes all the difference.United States coach Bob Bradley has admitted that he is keen to manage Aston Villa. Bradley, who led the United States to the last 16 of the World Cup, has had no formal talks with Villa's American owner, Randy Lerner, but his representatives have made contact with the club.
Asked on BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme whether he would be interested in the job, he said: "Of course, I think Aston Villa is a massive club with great history and a great following and those type of opportunities would of course be of interest. I would certainly be honoured to have that conversation but I'm impressed with the way things have been handled so far and we'll see what the future holds."
Bradley's comments will add to the mounting pressure on Villa's caretaker manager, Kevin MacDonald, with the Scotsman now unlikely to be offered the job on a full-time basis in the wake of yesterday's crushing defeat at Newcastle. The American's reputation was improved by the job he did in South Africa, where the US topped England's group having drawn with Capello's men.
Bradley, 52, has a contract with the United States which runs until the end of the year, but said: "I've always been excited about being a manager in Europe, but at the same time I'm proud of the work we've done with the US team over the last four years. It is important to consider that as a challenge as well. So we'll see what happens. There have been discussions with some of my representatives to at least find out the situation but Aston Villa seem to have taken a good stance where they have been patient.
"They have a very good man in Kevin MacDonald who is highly respected in the club, so I think on the one hand they are probably putting a list together and on the other making sure Kevin has the time to consider his future as well. I had some people do some checking just to find out where things stood."
Asked whether the fact that Lerner was a fellow American would improve his chances of getting the job, Bradley said: "I think it's pretty clear that Randy Lerner has done a solid job in making sure [Villa's] tradition is kept. Across the board, I think that things at Aston Villa have been done really well."
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