Gérard Houllier expected to decide on Aston Villa future next week

Gérard Houllier's future should be resolved next week, when the Aston Villa manager is expected to make a decision about whether to return to work after receiving an update about his health. Villa are optimistic that Houllier will be given the all-clear, although the Frenchman would still need to make up his own mind as to whether he is prepared to come back to management after a second major health scare. Houllier spent eight days in hospital last month with a chest pain that was later diagnosed as a dissection of the descending aorta. Having undergone 11 hours of open-heart surgery in 2001, when he was taken ill during his time in charge of Liverpool, Houllier was expected to walk away from football after his latest serious setback. The 63-year-old has, however, been steadily improving at home and there is a sense within the club that it is increasingly likely he will be back in charge soon. Should that turn out to be the case – much will also depend on the discussions that Houllier has with his wife on whether he should return to frontline management – Villa will be relieved to avoid another summer of potential turmoil, after the unrest caused when Martin O'Neill resigned last August, five days before the start of the season.