Aston Villa will begin interviewing potential managers this week, according to Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner.
The English Premier League club have been without a permanent manager since Martin O'Neill quit just days before the start of the season, with former reserves coach Kevin MacDonald standing in as caretaker in the meantime.
Faulkner said it had been the club's priority to stabilise on-field matters before the search for a new full-time manager began.
"Our first order of business, looking immediately ahead to our games against West Ham, Rapid Vienna, Newcastle and Everton, was to ask Kevin MacDonald to step in as caretaker manager," Faulkner said.
"We will now start the process of interviewing candidates we believe meet the key criteria required to manage Aston Villa with a view to making an appointment in the near future."
"We have thoroughly researched potential candidates and have reached out to a variety of contacts we have within the game for advice and guidance, as well as keeping key staff at Villa Park informed and focused."
Faulkner also hinted at what the club would be looking for in its new manager.
"Two of the traits we believe are of crucial importance are that candidates have experience of managing in the Premier League and a strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad," Faulkner said.
This would appear to rule out USA coach Bob Bradley and former AZ Alkmaar manager Ronald Koeman, neither of whom have experience in the Premier League.
It would leave the door open for former Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and Ajax manager Martin Jol, with both having been linked with the job in recent weeks.
Caretaker MacDonald is yet to decide whether he will put his hand up for the job, but said chairman Randy Lerner had given him until Tuesday to make up his mind.
"He put no pressure on me but I will probably speak to him Monday or Tuesday at the latest about whether I wish to be considered for the job," MacDonald said.
"I've enjoyed being able to organise things but I still don't know if it is for me or not."
"I will now have the chance to collate everything that has happened in the past two weeks and I've got to believe I'm good enough myself. That is what I will think about."