Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins are giving Steven Gerrard his biggest selection headache at Aston Villa thus far, but perhaps there’s another striker who could force his way into Gerrard’s plans.
Indeed, Keinan Davis may have only just joined Nottingham Forest on loan, but he’s already blossoming at the City Ground, and his style of play may well be suited to Gerrard’s tactics.
Davis is an incredibly physical striker who’s also brilliant off the ball, and interestingly, Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side was spearheaded by a similar forward in the shape of Alfredo Morelos.
The Colombian, much like Davis, uses his physical attributes brilliantly, and one scout report described his style of play brilliantly.
‘Morelos is a very direct player who uses pace, power and strength in an almost brutish way to force his way through opposing defenders.’ Outside of the Boot wrote about the forward, and that’s a perfect way to describe him.
Read that description and then watch Davis’ assist for Nottingham Forest against Blackburn on Wednesday, and you will see the clear parallels between the two players.
Davis rides four or five challenges before feeding Joe Garner with a perfectly-weighted pass for the opening goal.
The Colombian would do similar on a number of occasions for Gerrard at Rangers, and while he may have been sharper in front of goal than Davis currently is, at the age of just 23, that’s an area that the Aston Villa loanee can still improve in.
Gerrard showed at Rangers that he can utilise a striker with these attributes expertly. Morelos was one of the SPFL’s best strikers under the Aston Villa boss, and if the gaffer can finetune Davis’ game, then there’s no reason why he can’t play him in a similar role and turn him into a Premier League player.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
