Aston Villa confirm illness will keep Gerard Houllier away from managerial duties for remainder of season

EPL,Gerrard Houllier,Manchester United vs Aston Villa(Getty Images)

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Aston Villa have revealed club manager Gerard Houllier will not return to the sidelines for the remainder of the 2010/2011 Premier League campaign.

Houllier remains in hospital after suffering a health scare, thought to be related to an existing heart condition, and it has now been confirmed he will not return this season.

Aston Villa’s director general Charles Krulak confirmed the Frenchman will miss the remaining four fixtures of the Villan’s campaign.

He said: “I am afraid he Houllier will not be on the sidelines for the remainder of our games. The key is his health and that he recovers completely.

“It is serious, something that we have to be concerned about.”

Aston Villa’s assistant manager, Gary McAllister, who had earlier spoken of his uncertainty over the exact date Houllier would return to manage the side, is confident in his ability to take charge of the Villa hotseat until the end of the season.

McAllister said: “The facts are I’m a professional man. I’m the number two and when the manager is not here, I’ve got to go in.

“I’m fortunate I’ve managed another big city club in Leeds and another not far away from here at Coventry.

“I’ve got experience and I’ve played with a lot of these type of players in my periods at Leeds and Liverpool  so I think I know them.

“I’m trying to get better at knowing the character of the modern-day player.

“My experience is not massive. My main experience is coming from being an ex-player.

“But there’s no doubt having worked with chairmen Ken Bates at Leeds and Mike McGinnity at Coventry, that bit of experience has helped.”