Aston Villa legend Gabriel Agbonlahor expects Steven Gerrard to be announced as club’s new manager imminently

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor is confident Steven Gerrard will be the man to take on the managerial hot-seat at the Midlands club.

According to Sky Sports, the Rangers boss is ‘open’ to a return to the Premier League and Agbonlahor claims he has also heard positive news in the club’s pursuit of their main target.

Gerrard was installed as the strong bookmakers favourite to replace Dean Smith who was sacked by the club at the weekend after a poor start to their campaign.

Villa are expected to accelerate their efforts to find a new manager over the next 24 hours and are reportedly lining up an official approach for Gerrard.

Various media outlets claim that a compensation figure of between £2million and £3million could prove enough for the Ibrox board to allow Gerrard to return south of the border.

And Villa legend Agbonlahor believes the Liverpool icon would be the perfect candidate to transform the club’s fortunes this season.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “I’m hearing reports it’s close to being done as well.

“I think for Steven Gerard it’s the perfect club, it gets him to the Premier League, managing in the Premier League.

“Aston Villa, the fifth richest owners in the English Premier League, they’ve got money to spend, they will give him money to spend in January, if needed.

“Look at the squad of players, that’s a squad who should be fighting to get into the top six, they have got some really good players.

“For me, it would be a great job for Steven Gerrard, it would be a shame for Rangers because he’s done an outstanding job there.”

Rangers midfielder Steven Davis, who is currently on international duty with Northern Ireland, isn’t surprised to hear the Light Blues boss is attracting attention from Premier League clubs.

He said: “Unfortunately in football there are always going to be links if you’re doing a good job.

“He is certainly doing a fantastic job at the club and I’ve got a great relationship with him.”

A case could be made that Gerrard still has something to prove in Glasgow, having clinched just one trophy out of a possible nine during his three-year spell in Scotland.

Defending their Scottish Premiership crown could go a long way to establishing himself as one of the most sought-after managers in world football.