Steven Gerrard is one of the most unpopular Aston Villa managers in recent memory.
Gerrard joined Villa in 2021 and was backed financially in what proved to be an ill-fated spell after leaving a stable job with Rangers.
Rangers have wanted Gerrard back since, but it is safe to say that the Villa Park faithful wouldn’t want the Englishman near Villa Park any time soon.
The Liverpool legend made John McGinn captain before his first full season in charge, removing the armband from Tyrone Mings in the process.
McGinn has gone on to thrive for Villa, while Gerrard is now without a managerial role, but has spoken out on the Scotland international on punditry duty.
What did Steven Gerrard say about John McGinn?
The former midfielder was offering comment as two of his old sides matched up in a Premier League clash at Anfield.
Villa ultimately fell to a 2-0 defeat against Liverpool as their winning domestic streak came to a frustrating end on Merseyside.
Ahead of the clash, Gerrard was asked about one of the most controversial moments of his Villa career, which only added to the negativity around him at the time.
Taking the captaincy off Mings and handing it to McGinn was bizarre, but the ex-head coach has stood by his decision.
While speaking live via TNT Sport on 1 November, Gerrard gave a lengthy and glowing review of his former skipper.
He said: “I changed captain over the summer. John is a fabulous person, very infectious, great for the group on and off the pitch. He’s a wonderful footballer, and I like John as a midfielder because he takes risks.
“He’s been moved more out to the right side, more of a seven position, but more tucked in, and if you watch these clips of John, he’s very tenacious, combative in midfield. He can regain the ball, he’s all in out of possession, very physical. He can drive with the ball, he doesn’t get enough credit for the speed he can move with the ball.
“There’s the risk I’m talking about, those spiteful passes. John could play a safe pass and get his possession numbers up, but he wants to play the killer pass. The pass that is going to hurt an opponent, and that’s what I loved about him when he played central midfield for me. When he gets in range, he’s got such a lovely left foot, so sweet. He’s adding goals to his game now. This is the responsibility that we saw in John, he can take a game by the scruff of the neck and score important goals. He’s got the energy to arrive in the box, pick up the pieces and score big goals.
“I think with his experience, he is very comfortable at Aston Villa. The fans love him there, his teammates love him, and it was a pleasure to work with John. I think giving him the captaincy, he felt that initially, and it weighed him down. He took on too much responsibility, but he’s certainly grown into it. He’s embracing the responsibility now, he’s gone to the next level under Unai Emery, he’s really enjoying his position where he can come in on his left foot and cause problems for the opponent.
“In terms of players and a coach relationship, he’s one of the best I’ve worked with. Do you know why I love him? Because he’s honest. You know when he doesn’t play well or train well, he looks you in the eye and says, ‘I know.’ That’s very rare, a player who can own that responsibility and accept it and be honest, where you’ve got that trust with each other.
“ I really loved working with John, he’s a top player and a top human being. I think one of his best things is he’s good at keeping secrets away from managers.“
I think Gerrard was right to give McGinn the Aston Villa captaincy
It was an outrage at the time that Mings had lost the armband and arguably been humiliated by the head coach and hung out to dry.
The central defender didn’t deserve that, but I don’t think his play style and leadership qualities were dampened by not being named captain.
Mings was graceful in losing out to McGinn, but arguably looked more like the skipper in the early stages of the Scot’s reign.
The man signed from Hibernian has grown into the role and I think has become the perfect man to lead Emery’s men forward on the pitch.
If Gerrard had never made that decision, there is no guarantee that the 31-year-old would ever get the chance to take up that honour.
As much as I can’t stand how Gerrard made Villa feel during his brief spell in charge, he probably does deserve some credit for that one bold call.
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