Carla Ward will take a break from football after leaving Aston Villa

Carla Ward's Aston Villa are seventh in the WSL rankings. Photo: Getty Images/Neville Williams

Aston Villa manager Carla Ward is set to take a break from football after deciding to leave the Women's Super League club at the end of the season.

It is clear that leaving is her own decision and Ward, 40, is understood to be taking a significant break from work to recharge her batteries and spend time with her family.

The former Sheffield United and Birmingham City manager spent three seasons with Villa and brought her to ninth place. place in the 2021/22 season and fifth place in the 2022/23 season — the club's highest position in the league among women.

Villa sit in a respectable seventh place this season with two WSL games remaining. The first of these will be a trip to eighth-placed Brighton on Saturday, with Ward's final match in charge at home to title-challenging Manchester City on Saturday 18 May.

“Leaving my role here at Aston Villa was the most difficult decision of my coaching career, but I know it is the right decision for me and my family,” Ward said. “Managing a great club like Aston Villa has been a full-time job and I have always given 100 per cent to that role. However, I now believe that the time has come for me to prioritize other important things, such as my daughter and the rest of my family life.

“I am immensely grateful to Monchi [Villa FC President of Operations] and Damian Vidagani [director of football], who tried so hard to convince me to stay in this position, but I know now is the right time to step down after our last game of the season.»

Monchi said: “Carla came to us a few weeks ago and told us about her plan to retire. We've had extensive dialogue with her to see if there's anything we can do to convince her to stay, but she's adamant that she wants to take a break from gaming. On behalf of everyone at Aston Villa, I want to put on record our thanks to Carla and wish her all the best for the future.»

Telegraph Sport understands Villa may not have a replacement in place immediately and an extensive process will now begin recruiting efforts to find Ward's successor. The position is likely to be attractive to high-profile candidates from around the world as the popularity and profile of the English women's top-flight league continues to grow.

It is understood that the club's women's head of football, Lee Billiard, will draw up a shortlist of potential candidates for Monchi and the club's director of football operations, Damian Vidagani, to make a decision.

Vidagani added in a club statement: «Carla is one of the best managers in women's football.» football and we are sad to see her go. I would like to wish her all the best for the future.»