New Aston Villa boss Remi Garde accepts he has a “difficult task” ahead of him but he insists he is “looking forward to the challenge.”

The former Lyon manager was in the stands as Villa slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on Monday night.

Garde will oversee his first game as Villa manager after replacing Tim Sherwood when title chasers Manchester City visit on Sunday.

The defeat to Spurs left Villa bottom of the Premier League table and four points adrift of safety and Garde accepts the Midlands outfit face a huge battle to secure safety this season, but he is excited by the challenge ahead.

He said: “It is an unbelievable honour to be the manager of such an illustrious football club.

“I’ve had extremely positive meetings with both the owner, Randy Lerner, and chief executive Tom Fox. They have ambitious plans for the club and I’m excited that they have turned to me to help them realise them.

“Obviously we have a difficult task in front of us but I’m looking forward to the challenge with the support of everyone who loves Aston Villa.”

Villa are 7.00 to beat City on Sunday or 4.50 to claim a draw.

The Villa Park side are 1.40 to be relegated at the end of the season, while Spurs are 3.00 to finish in the top four.