Mueez Ajao
– Steven Gerrard is expected to be appointed Aston Villa manager on a two and a half year deal.
– Villa are using the international break to consider their next move but expect to have a manager in place for the home game against Brighton on 20 November.
– It looks increasingly likely former Liverpool and England captain Gerrard, 41, will be in charge for that game.
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– Dean Smith was sacked on Sunday after a run of five successive league defeats.
– Belgium coach Roberto Martinez also figured in the Villa hierarchy’s discussions but Gerrard has always been the favourite and efforts to finalise an appointment will intensify before the weekend.
– Gerrard’s work in revitalising Rangers and recapturing the Scottish title in 2021 from Celtic – who had won it for each of the previous nine seasons – has impressed Villa’s hierarchy and put his name at the forefront of list of targets.
– He is admired and respected by Villa chief executive Christian Purslow, who knows him well from his time at Liverpool.
– While Gerrard has long been seen as future manager at Anfield, the lure of a move back to the Premier League with a stable, ambitious club is a tempting one.
– If the former midfielder does accept the challenge at Villa Park, it will be a bitter blow to Rangers, who placed their faith in Gerrard by handing him his first major managerial post in 2018.
