Gerrard 'proud' to be new Villa boss

LONDON • Former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard was yesterday confirmed as Aston Villa's new manager on a 31/2-year deal after he ended his stint with Scottish champions Rangers.

The 41-year-old emerged as the favourite for the Villa job after the club sacked manager Dean Smith on Sunday following a run of five successive Premier League losses.

In a statement, Villa chief executive Christian Purslow said that Gerrard's "ambitions, philosophy and values" were in sync with the club's vision.

This will be his second managerial job after he took up the Rangers job in June 2018.

Last season, he broke archrivals Celtic's nine-year domination in the league to lead the Ibrox club to a 55th Scottish title on the back of an unbeaten league campaign.

On taking up the Villa hot seat, Gerrard said: "Aston Villa is a club with a rich history and tradition in English football and I am immensely proud to become its new head coach.

"In my conversations with (owners) Nassef (Sawiris), Wes (Edens) and the rest of the board, it was apparent how ambitious their plans are for the club and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their aims."

Villa's recent loss of form has left them in 16th position in the table and only two points above the relegation zone.

While Gerrard has never coached in the Premier League, he was in charge of the Liverpool academy for a while and helped develop some of the club's young talent like Curtis Jones.

Purslow said that the ability to nurture youth-team players as well as his work at Ibrox "really caught the eye" and made him the standout candidate.

In a statement, Rangers chairman Douglas Park thanked Gerrard for restoring the club back to the top of Scottish football after a tumultuous decade that saw them suffer relegation and insolvency and for "providing us all with some unforgettable moments".

Villa's first match under Gerrard will be in the league at home to Brighton on Nov 20.

REUTERS