Rangers boss Steven Gerrard on Aston Villa’s wishlist to replace axed Dean Smith as former team-mate delivers verdict

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has been installed as the early short-price favourite to become the next Aston Villa manager after the club’s decision to sack Dean Smith over the weekend.

An alarming slide of five successive Premier League defeats has left Villa just two points above the relegation zone and the club’s owners opted to part ways with Smith in the aftermath of Friday night’s 1-0 defeat to Southampton.

Gerrard, who was previously linked with the Newcastle United job, appears to be high on Villa’s wishlist alongside Belgium National Team head coach Robert Martinez.

It is widely believed Gerrard would one day like to manage Liverpool where he achieved legendary status during his playing career.

It remains to be seen if he would leave Rangers to take on a role in the English Premier League out with his boyhood heroes.

Gerrard already knows Villa’s Chief Executive Christian Purslow well as he was previously Liverpool’s Managing Director during the Gers boss’ time at Anfield.

Another huge pull could be the club’s connection to Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister who had a short spell as interim head coach at Villa Park in 2011.

However, Jamie Carragher reckons the job may have come too soon for his former Liverpool team-mate as he looks to add further silverware to his CV in Scotland.

Speaking on Sky Sport, the pundit said: “I think Aston Villa as a club would be a great move for Steven Gerrard.

“But the situation he finds himself in right now is that he took the title away from Celtic last season, and he’s in a great position to win it again.

“I think in a perfect world you’d want to stay at Rangers until the end of the season and come away from there with two titles.

“I mean, this is not something coming from Steven Gerrard – but sooner or later there’s going to be a great chance Steven Gerrard is going to come to the Premier League.

“For me, it’s a difficult one. If he got offered the Aston Villa job, I don’t think there would be many jobs in the Premier League which he would get offered that are better than that.

“People talk about Liverpool, and that might be another two or three years with Jurgen Klopp so you’re not going to get any better jobs.

“It would be a decision for him but, in a perfect world, I think Steven Gerrard wants to come away from Rangers with another couple of trophies.”