Aston Villa announced on Tuesday that manager Remi Garde had left the club by mutual consent.

"The Club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Remi for all his efforts during a difficult period and wish him well in the future," the team said in a statement.

Eric Black will take over as manager on a caretaker basis until a permanent manager is appointed. 

Garde was only appointed manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal in November following the dismissal of Tim Sherwood. Under Garde, the team has won just two of 20 matches.

Villa currently sits last in the English Premier League table, 12 points from safety with only seven matches remaining. The Birmingham club is one of only seven teams that have been in the EPL since its inception in 1992 without being relegated.

The team is next in action on Saturday when it hosts Chelsea.