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Stiliyan Petrov backs Steven Gerrard for Aston Villa job amid Rangers jibe
Stiliyan Petrov has backed Steven Gerrard for the vacant Aston Villa managerial job after heavy speculation surrounding the Rangers boss.
The ex-Villa and Celtic captain was speaking via talkSPORT [09/11/21] on Tuesday when he was asked by host Jim White for his view on the current talk linking Gerrard with a move to Villa Park to succeed the recently-sacked Dean Smith.
He said: “Of course, obviously I have a lot of time for the young managers, especially for the two names that have been mentioned for the Villa job, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, two young managers who have managed to start their careers in the best possible way.
“Especially Steven Gerrard, he has shown that he can handle pressure, he’s hungry to achieve and he’s moving in the right direction, so I don’t see why not.”
Petrov later added: “He maybe has to move because you never know if he’s going to win the league again this year up there!”
Laughing, White replied: “That’s right.”
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Celtic desperate for Gerrard exit
Petrov obviously has feet in both camps at Celtic and Villa, so it’s no surprise he wants to see Gerrard at Villa Park.
The Premier League outfit would be getting a top young manager who has performed admirably at Ibrox, while it would also have the effect of stripping away one of the biggest threats to Celtic and their chances of domestic success.
Rangers ran away with the Scottish Premiership title last season, remaining unbeaten over 38 games and accruing a mammoth 102 points.
It’s pretty obvious that the Hoops would like Gerrard out of the way to place some uncertainty on the Gers.
But there are no signs yet that Gerrard wants to leave the club to head down south, and until that point, talk is cheap.
In other Rangers news, an ex-FIFA official has blasted this player after a major recent Ibrox controversy.