Martin Laursen has told talkSPORT that he finds Aston Villa’s decision to appoint Steven Gerrard as their new manager as ‘interesting’.
The former Holte End hero stated that he can see Gerrard having a similar mindset to the one Martin O’Neill had during his days at Villa Park.
On Thursday, Villa announced on their Twitter account that Gerrard is their new Head Coach and the man to replace Dean Smith in the dugout.
It was a ruthless call from Villa to sack Smith, a boyhood fan and popular figure, but they haven’t wasted any time in bringing in his replacement.
The job is clear for Gerrard to try and get Villa back to Europe and start winning trophies.
The last time the Midlands side were in Europe, Laursen was sweeping things up at the back for Villa and he shared his honest thoughts on Gerrard being appointed today.
“Interesting,” said Laursen. “Steven Gerrard is obviously a huge name in football and in England. He seems like a very ambitious manager. I just cross my fingers because I just want the best for Aston Villa.
On what awaits Gerrard at Villa: “More or less the same as Martin O’Neil. A great competitor and a winner. He only wanted to win, it was a catastrophe every time we lost a game, There was a meeting straightaway.
“I think that Steven Gerrard is more or less the same. I think he wants to win and if you don’t win, then there is something wrong and I need to find out straight away because I can’t accept not to win, or to lose matches.”
This is a big risk by Villa because this isn’t Gerrard the player taking to their turf, but the manager.
Gerrard is still in the early days of his managerial career and some feel that he probably should have stayed for at least another season at Ibrox.
But the 2005 Champions League winner clearly feels that this was an opportunity too good to turn down.
If this goes well then it could explode on huge scales and probably open the door for him to land that Liverpool job one day.
In truth, if Gerrard does end up becoming Liverpool manager, then that means his time at Villa ends up being a success.
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