So, that was quick. Just days after Aston Villa sacked Dean Smith on Monday, they are now very close to hiring Steven Gerrard.
That’s according to Birmingham Live, with Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece believing the deal is ‘all but done’ for the Villans.
That will come as a huge blow to Rangers, who have only just started the defence of their Scottish Premiership title under Gerrard.
Nevertheless, it’s an exciting appointment for Aston Villa, but what can Villa Park expect from the 41-year-old?
An old story from Gabby Agbonlahor might help to provide some insight…
Steven Gerrard won’t mess around
Gerrard may only have been in management since 2018, although in that short space of time, he’s clearly got his message across at Rangers.
That is perhaps down to his steely determination, and the huge standards he expects of himself and those around him.
Gerrard’s character was made crystal clear by Agbonlahor, who told talkSPORT about the time he trained with him at England.
The Aston Villa cult hero said: “The standard of training just went boom. I gave the ball away once, and Steven Gerrard was on my team, and the look he gave me was like ‘you better get that ball back’.
“I was blowing.”
Clearly, Gerrard won’t accept any nonsense at Villa Park, and will demand the absolute maximum from his players in the Midlands.
Anyway, you probably already knew that, based on how he was as a player.
Will Steven Gerrard succeed at Aston Villa?
In our view, yes. Gerrard has plenty of quality players at his disposal, not least Danny Ings who he played alongside at Liverpool.
Additionally, his record at Rangers is nothing short of superb.
As you’ll know, he brought the Scottish Premiership title back to Ibrox after ten years of waiting, beating bitter rivals Celtic to the trophy.
In 192 games for the Gers, Gerrard won 124, and remarkably lost just 27 – he also recorded 41 draws.
Furthermore, Gerrard watched his Rangers side score 407 goals and concede just 139, averaging 2.15 points per game.
Of course, the Premier League is more challenging than the Scottish Premiership, although these statistics are still stunning, to say the least.
Keep an eye on this saga, as there could soon be an announcement.
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