Aston Villa have suffered a double blow in their hunt for Steve Bruce’s successor after Thierry Henry and Rui Faria both turned down the Championship club.

That has given Villa supporter Dean Smith a huge boost in his bid to land his dream job, with the club set to try to speak to the Brentford manager.

Henry informed Villa on Tuesday night that he would not be accepting their offer to take over from Bruce and then Faria ruled himself out of the race.

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Villa reacted quickly to the double rejection by arranging talks with candidates further down their shortlist, including Smith.

Sources in Portugal also claim Villa want to speak to Benfica B manager Bruno Lage, who was assistant to Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City.

John Terry, who has also been touted as a potential successor to Bruce, remains in the frame for a coaching position under whoever is eventually appointed.

Candidates will not be instructed that they have to employ Terry, but it is being made clear that Villa would like him involved and the former Chelsea defender can expect to earn in the region of £1million a year.

Villa had hoped to announce Henry’s arrival on Monday, but the Frenchman decided against starting his managerial career in the Midlands after being targeted by Monaco.

Henry is part of a three-man shortlist to replace Leonardo Jardim at Monaco and that opened the door for Faria, who Villa were keen on.

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But it is understood Faria informed Villa he is not ready to return to football after leaving his job as Manchester United’s assistant under Jose Mourinho at the end of the season.

Faria’s decision came as a major surprise and boosted Smith’s bid to convince Villa he is the right man.

Smith had been rated as an outsider for the post, but he has quickly moved up towards the top of Villa’s shortlist since Bruce’s sacking.

He would be an appealing appointment to Villa fans, as he often attends the club’s games with his family when he can find time away from Brentford.

Smith enjoyed a successful four-year spell managing Walsall, before taking over at Brentford in 2015 and is used to working with a director of football which would suit Villa, who are expected to confirm their own appointment in the position shortly.

Lage would represent an enormous gamble by Villa and would increase theories that super-agent Jorge Mendes is having a big input into the managerial process.

Mendes is close friends with Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris, but new chief executive Christian Purslow is keen to stamp his authority on football matters.

Brendan Rodgers has also been linked with the Villa job, but the former Liverpool manager is thought to earn over £3m at Celtic.