Blackpool chief executive Ben Mansford addresses Neil Critchley’s surprise departure to Aston Villa

The club’s head coach has opted to depart Bloomfield Road to link up with former Liverpool colleague Steven Gerrard as his assistant at Aston Villa.

In an interview with the club, Mansford revealed the news didn’t come to him until Wednesday evening with confirmation coming the following day.

“It’s been a very disappointing situation,” he told Tangerine TV. “It all happened really quickly.

“Of course Neil has done well for us and those calls can come at any time, but this one came completely out of the blue.

“I got a call from Neil late on the Wednesday evening where he said he had received a call from Steven Gerrard. As we know Steven’s assistant Michael Beale had joined QPR and Steven would like Neil to become his new assistant.

“Neil was reasonably clear he wanted to take that opportunity, he felt it was right for him and he said Aston Villa would be in touch to sort the formalities of the approach and Neil’s exit.

“At that point I spoke to the board, I spoke to (head of football operations) John Stephenson, Aston Villa were in touch late Wednesday night and they conducted themselves properly and went through the right process.

“Things then snowballed really quickly on Thursday morning. Simon and Neil spoke and it became clear this was what Neil wanted to do, so we had to deal with the process; the agreements that needed to be completed, the press statement we needed to think about, staff, players…it caught us all by surprise.

“Apologies to all the supporters because I know at 5pm or 6pm on Thursday when people were beginning to enjoy the start of their four-day weekend we all saw the news.

“I appreciate it wasn’t the way everyone wanted to start the Bank Holiday, but it’s professional sport, these things happen and we now move forward.”

At this point in time it remains unclear why Critchley opted to leave, having yet to make a statement of his own.

When asked if the 42-year-old had outlined the reasons to the club, Mansford added: “We all know Neil is one of the most qualified and talented coaches around, that was a big part of why we were attracted to him.

“If I’m trying to suggest something in Neil’s absence, without wanting to speak for him, I think the opportunity to work with international and world class players, to pit himself against some of the best coaches and managers as part of Steven Gerrard’s team, to be in the best league in the world and some of the greatest stadia in the world, I’d imagine all of us who have taken time to get to know Neil over the last couple of years will know he loves coaching and he loves to work with players.

“The opportunity for him to do this at the highest level is obviously something he wanted to pursue.

“I also think being part of the negotiations that saw Neil leave Liverpool and getting to know him, there is a good respect and bond between him and Steven Gerrard. They spent time together when Steven started his coaching journey at Liverpool and I think that relationship - in my view a few days after it’s happened - is obviously a strong one so that would have had a bearing in Neil’s decision.

“Hopefully in time Neil will be able to put his own view forward.”