Steven Gerrard has arrived in London as speculation continues that he will soon be appointed as the new Aston Villa manager.
Rangers boss Gerrard has emerged as the leading contender to replace Dean Smith, who was sacked on Sunday amid a miserable run of five successive defeats.
The Liverpool legend is now said to be on the brink of accepting his first Premier League job as a manger, with the Mirror's sister publications the Daily Record and Birmingham Live both reporting that a deal is close.
Gerrard was spotted arriving at Euston station with a suitcase, with suggestions that he will meet Villa supremo Christian Purslow - who he worked with at Liverpool - for talks in the capital.
Michael Beale, one of Gerrard's coaches at Rangers, shared on his Instagram Story that he was in London on Tuesday evening, ramping up speculation that a deal could be done which would bring the manager and his coaching staff south of the border.
Gary McAllister, Gerrard's assistant manager, has coached at Villa before. The Scotsman worked under Gerard Houllier for the 2010-11 season, and took over as caretaker for the end of the campaign due to Houllier's ill health.
Gerrard won the Scottish Premiership title with Rangers last season, his first major honour, and the Gers currently sit top of the table and four points clear of rivals Celtic.
He is said to have been tempted by the prospect of taking over at Villa though, with several of his contemporaries from his playing career urging him to make the move.
Former Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor, who briefly played with Gerrard for England, told talkSPORT: "I'm hearing reports it's close to being done as well.
"I think for Steven Gerrard it's the perfect club, it gets him to the Premier League, managing in the Premier League."
Gerrard's former Liverpool teammate Steve McManaman, meanwhile, has criticised Villa for their decision to sack Smith despite their poor run of form.
“The way Aston Villa have treated Dean Smith is absolutely atrocious," he told HorseRacing.net.
"They were fifteenth in the Championship. He’s taken them to where they are now, and they’ve lost their best player in Jack Grealish.
“Yes they’ve had a couple bad results. They were 2-0 up against Wolves, which ended 3-2, but that wasn’t the manager’s fault. Five defeats on the bounce and they’ve just cast him aside. The way he’s been treated is diabolical. It’s just considered ‘the norm’ and ‘acceptable’ to treat people like this in football.
“He’s not been given the chance to get himself out of it. You win 20 on the bounce – it’s great. You lose five on the bounce – you lose your job. It’s just awful.”
