The former Manchester United striker was reportedly offered the job by Villa owner Randy Lerner, but he rejected the move.
"I had a very open, honest and very nice dialogue with Mr Lerner and he really understood my decision. He was really understanding," he told reporters.
Molde won their league last season.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Manchester CityMan City | 32 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 76 | 32 | 44 | 73 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 32 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 75 | 26 | 49 | 71 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 32 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 72 | 31 | 41 | 71 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 33 | 19 | 6 | 8 | 68 | 49 | 19 | 63 |
| 5 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 32 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 65 | 49 | 16 | 60 |
| 6 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 32 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 69 | 52 | 17 | 50 |
| 7 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 32 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 47 | 48 | -1 | 50 |
| 8 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 33 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 52 | 58 | -6 | 48 |
| 9 | Chelsea | 31 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 61 | 52 | 9 | 47 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 32 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 52 | 50 | 2 | 44 |
| 11 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 46 | 51 | -5 | 43 |
| 12 | Fulham | 33 | 12 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 51 | -2 | 42 |
| 13 | Bournemouth | 32 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 47 | 57 | -10 | 42 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 37 | 54 | -17 | 33 |
| 15 | Brentford | 33 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 47 | 58 | -11 | 32 |
| 16 | Everton | 32 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 32 | 48 | -16 | 27 |
| 17 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 33 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 58 | -16 | 26 |
| 18 | Luton TownLuton | 33 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 46 | 70 | -24 | 25 |
| 19 | Burnley | 33 | 4 | 8 | 21 | 33 | 68 | -35 | 20 |
| 20 | Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd | 32 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 30 | 84 | -54 | 16 |
| > Premier League Full Table | |||||||||
