Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still in Aston Villa frame

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was today continuing to play a waiting game for the Villa manager's job.

The former Manchester United striker had an eventful weekend as the fallout at current club Molde continued following his decision to speak to Villa owner Randy Lerner.

Solskjaer, who confirmed he has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave Molde to join a Premier League club, remains the bookmakers' favourite for the job and would be an extremely popular appointment with Villa fans.

The 39-year-old Norwegian stated over the weekend he would jump at the opportunity.

He would replace Alex McLeish, who was sacked by Lerner last week, in the Villa Park dugout but is happy to bide his time.

Solskjaer said: "A Villa offer is purely hypothetical at the moment.

"Time will tell. The club will probably talk to other candidates as well, but I've always stressed the fact that I want to manage a club in the Premier League.

"The Premier League is appealing, but we will have to wait and see. I'm flattered by the interest, though. That's not a secret."

Further evidence of Solskjaer's departure from Molde came when he hugged his coaching staff, every player and clapped the supporters after his side's 2-0 win over Sandnes Ulf yesterday.

Similarly, the comments of club backer Bjorn Rune Gjelsten, who spoke of Solskjaer's reign in the past tense, seemed to add fuel to the fire of his departure.

Villa officials will now interview other candidates with Norwich boss Paul Lambert and Wigan manager Roberto Martinez chief among them.

And striker Darren Bent admitted the new man must bring some stability to the club after two chaotic campaigns which have seen Villa battling against relegation.

Bent said: "There's a lot of clubs where the manager has been in charge for a while and you watch the club grow. A new manager will bring stability to Villa so that the club can move forward and grow.

"Whoever gets the job, I am sure will understand the passion of the club and understand what that means to the fans."

* Villa's youngsters put in a battling performance but lost 2-1 to Newcastle in the final of the Hong Kong sevens tournament.