Steven Gerrard is delighted to have the chance to work with Marvelous Nakamba at Aston Villa, as the midfielder has ‘jumped out’ since his arrival, via quotes by Birmingham Live.
Gerrard knew the potential the Zimbabwe international has before witnessing his ability first-hand at Bodymoor Heath. But Nakamba has stunned the Villans’ latest head coach with his stellar early performances on the pitch and in training.
Nakamba has started each of Gerrard’s first two Premier League fixtures as Aston Villa boss and impressed the England icon. He had only started three of the Villans’ opening 11 under Dean Smith, before the axe fell on the now-Norwich City manager’s tenure at Villa Park.
Brighton enjoyed some success against Nakamba during Gerrard’s debut at the Aston Villa helm last month. The Seagulls played around the midfielder, as they saw much of the ball.
But the 27-year-old was key to Villa securing back-to-back wins by beating Crystal Palace on Saturday. He broke up the Eagles’ play magnificently and kept things ticking for Villa.
Nakamba’s early form pleases Aston Villa boss Gerrard
Manchester City will be a big test for Gerrard and Nakamba when they visit Aston Villa on Wednesday. But the 26-cap star has pleased the Villa boss with what he has shown so far.
“He’s been fantastic, he’s trained extremely well,” Gerrard said. “He’s been really open, his two performances have been outstanding.
“We were aware of Marvelous before we came in, but he’s somebody who has really stood up and jumped out. He’s basically said in the two-weeks: ‘I’m here, I want to contribute, I want to be available’.
“He’s still young. He can get better, [but] he’s around the right people for that to happen, he’s in the right environment for that. We’re really pleased to have him.”
Gerrard will hope Nakamba’s as imperious in the Aston Villa midfield against Manchester City as he was against Crystal Palace. He played with supreme self-belief against the Eagles to win and distribute the ball, as he again kept things simple.
Smith’s £11m signing from Club Brugge in 2019 is now an undroppable aspect of Gerrard’s plans. A vastly different picture for the midfielder than he faced less than a month ago.
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