Birmingham, England — Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier was in a "comfortable" condition on Thursday after being hospitalized and will not be in charge of the team for this weekend's Premier League match against Stoke.

Villa said Houllier was admitted to a hospital on Wednesday night and will remain there "for several days" while he undergoes more tests.

The club didn't specify the exact nature of Houllier's problem. "I spoke with him this morning... and he sounded very positive," Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner said.

The 63-year-old Frenchman will temporarily relinquish firstteam duties to assistant coach Gary McAllister, who took training on Thursday and will be in charge for Saturday's home match at Villa Park.

Houllier had open heart surgery in October 2001 while manager of Liverpool, and was out of the game for five months.