Exclusive – Petrov: ‘MacDonald is the man for Villa’

Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has urged the club to give Kevin MacDonald the manager’s job on a permanent basis.

MacDonald has led the team to two wins from three in the Premier League since stepping up from his role as reserve team boss to take temporary charge following Martin O’Neill’s shock departure.

Villa chairman Randy Lerner wants an experienced top-flight boss and Gerard Houllier, Mark Hughes, Alan Curbishley and David Moyes have all been linked with the job permanently.

But Petrov insists MacDonald has proved he is more than capable of managing the Midlands club full-time.

“I’m a big fan [of MacDonald],” Petrov told Drive Time. “I’ve been at the club for nearly four and a half years and I’ve been seeing Kevin MacDonald working with the reserve team for a long time and he’s been great with them and great with us.

“He knows exactly what’s happening in the club and he’s willing, probably more than anybody, to do well for this club because he’s worked here for a long time.”

Petrov will captain Bulgaria against England at Wembley tonight in the opening Euro 2012 qualifier and he is expecting Fabio Capello’s side to be fired up after their World Cup flop.

He added: “It’s going to be difficult, especially after their disappointing World Cup. They will be ready to go and will want to get the fans on their side [so] it’s going to take a lot from us to take something from this game.”