Molde coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not become the next Aston Villa manager following further discussions about the job.
The former Manchester United striker met with Villa representatives last week for informal talks after being flown to Birmingham by a private jet.
He subsequently admitted that he was flattered to be a target for Villa, who sacked Alex McLeish last week after just one season in the job.
However, the 39-year-old is understood to have opted to stick with Molde following further talks regarding the position.
Villa have insisted that no offer was made to Solskjaer and have confirmed he is no longer under consideration for the role.
Pulled the plug
Solskjaer led Molde to their first Norwegian title during his first season at the helm and is preparing his squad for the UEFA Champions League.
As a result of Solskjaer's talks with Villa, he returned to Norway to learn that Molde's billionaire backer Kjell Inge Rokke had pulled the plug on his company's 20-year support.
Rokke had criticised Solskjaer's decision to fly to England to hold talks with Villa and the club were unhappy that the discussions emerged into the public domain.
Villa will now have to assess other candidates for the vacancy, with Norwich City's Paul Lambert and Wigan Athletic's Roberto Martinez rumoured to be front-runners.
Martinez turned down the chance to take charge at Villa Park 12 months ago, while it is understood that there has yet to be an approach from Villa for Lambert.
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