Ex-footballer Steven Gerrard has been fired from his first ever football management position by Aston Villa.

Steven Gerrard was let go less than an hour after the football club suffered a staggering 3-0 loss against Fulham at Craven Cottage yesterday evening.

The 42-year-old had been in the job for less than a year before the team took swift action to remove him due to his inability to make the team a success during this time.

"We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future," a Villa spokesman said.

On Friday morning the club announced that their first-team coach Aaron Danks will instead be taking charge of their Sunday game against Brentford.

Five members of Gerrard's backroom team – Gary McAllister, Neil Critchley, Tom Culshaw, Jordan Milsom and Scott Mason – have also left the club.

"The board has come to this decision following a full evaluation of results and performances over the calendar year," said the club's CEO, Christian Purslow.

"We were clear when we appointed Steven that we set an objective of continuous improvement, but that has not been achieved despite everybody's best efforts and we believe the time is right to make these changes now."

"The process of appointing a new head coach is underway and we will update supporters as soon as possible," Purslow added.

The announcement from Villa came after Gerrard had finished his post-match media duties where he admitted that he was under pressure.

"Football is in my DNA, quitting certainly not, so we will see what happens moving forward," he said.

"I have been around the game a long time and I certainly understand the situation."

Villa are hoping to to make a swift appointment of a new manager and a considering former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.