Harry Redknapp has revealed that Steve Bruce thought that he would be sacked as Aston Villa manager earlier in the season.

Villa endured a slow start to the new Championship campaign, but three league victories in a row have moved the club into ninth position in the standings.

However, Redknapp has said that Bruce phoned him earlier in the month to express concern over his job, before Redknapp was sacked by rivals Birmingham City a few days later.

While doing an after-dinner speech in Walsall, Redknapp said: "Everybody wanted to sack Steve Bruce. Brucie rung me [two weeks ago], he went: 'I think I'm going to get the sack if we get beat tomorrow'. I said: 'No, you'll be all right', and Birmingham sacked me instead.

"He got [Jonathan] Kodjia fit, suddenly he comes back in, you need your best players, you need match winners. You watch the football on Tuesday night and you watch Real Madrid play, Ronaldo scores two and Bale scores one, Tottenham's on and Harry Kane scores a hat-trick - you need your best players, players that can make the difference."

Bruce has won 21 of his 49 games in charge of Villa since replacing Roberto Di Matteo in October.