Former Liverpool midfielder and Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has emerged as the top favourite to fill the vacant position at Aston Villa after the dismissal of Dean Smith at the weekend.

Gerrard moved to Scotland in 2018 where he started his first managerial job with Rangers in June 2018, leading them to their first Scottish Premier League title in 10 years and reports indicate that the hierarchy at the villa park has been impressed with the work done by the former Three Lions midfielder despite the position being his first managerial job.

Despite their admiration for Steven Gerrard it is also reported that Aston Villa also have a short list of managers that they want with discussions already underway.

It is believed that Aston Villa want a new manager confirmed before Villa’s next game after the international break on the 20th of November.

Reports indicate that Belgium manager Roberto Martinez and Denmark mmanager Kasper Hjulmand, who led his country to the Euro 2020 semi-finals, are also on Aston Villa’s shortlist.

They are also looking at some current Premier League managers including Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhuttl and Brighton’s Graham Potter.

Aston Villa and 16th position on the table with 10 points from 11 games played scoring 14 goals and conceding 20. They lost the last game in the Premier League against Southampton with a single goal.

Their next opponent is high flying Brighton who sits seventh on the log with seventeen points, three points away from European places.

There have been plenty of shuffling of managers in the Premier League of late with Norwich City sacking manager Daniel Farke.

Newcastle has since replaced Steve Bruce with former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe while Spurs sacked Nuno Espirito Santo while replacing him with Antonio Conte.

Claudio Ranieri also returned to the Premier League after Watford sent Xisco Munoz packing.

Written by Daniel Ademiju Idowu