Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has said he thinks his former manager Gerard Houllier would be "very proud" of him.
Gerrard left Rangers this week to take up the vacant post at Aston Villa following the sacking of Dean Smith.
The move sees Gerrard return to the Premier League for the first time since 2015, when he left Liverpool after a stellar spell at Anfield to join Los Angeles Galaxy.
Since hanging up his boots, the Reds icon has gone on to forge a reputation as an up-and-coming coach, taking charge at Rangers and ending Celtic's nine-year grip on Scottish football with a title win last season.
Now he will be looking for more success in the Midlands and at his unveiling press conference on Thursday, the former midfielder was asked what Houllier, who died in December 2020 at the age of 73, would think of Gerrard the manager, per the MailOnline.
"I’m sure he’s looking down very proud," said the emotional Villa boss. "I’ll be forever in his debt for what he did for me. He changed me as a person, he helped me a lot as a player. He really improved my game intelligence and what it takes to stay at the top level.
"He went out of his way to talk to my parents, to see what I was eating and how I was getting on. I used to lean on him for advice. And his advice to me was always, 'Go and be the best version of yourself and you won’t go too far wrong'."
Houllier also had a spell at Villa as manager between 2009 and 2010, although he stepped down due to health reasons.
The Frenchman was adored at Anfield after arriving in 1998 to link up with Roy Evans and enjoyed great success in his six years on Merseyside, where he helped nurture some exciting young talent like Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen.
In the 2000-01 season, Houllier masterminded a treble-winning campaign for Liverpool, as they won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup in the same season. He was eventually replaced by Rafael Benitez in 2004.
