Steven Gerrard treasures memories to last a lifetime of FA Cup glory and has urged his players to embrace the competition.
Gerrard’s Villa side have been handed a tough third round tie on Monday night at Manchester United.
But boss Gerrard intends to ensure his men are fired up for the televised clash after winning the competition twice previously.
The former Liverpool captain lifted the Cup in 2001 and then famously in 2006 as skipper when he scored a last-gasp equaliser against West Ham before the Reds won on penalties.
Asked if the FA Cup still has its magic, Gerrard replied: “I’d like to think so.
“The message to the players is you can have some of the highlights of your career in this competition.
“If you’re English, you grow up watching this final and this competition, as a youngster you dream of playing in it.
“You actually create the scene in the street many times if you want to be a professional footballer.
“I did and I managed to live the dream.
“So the message to my players is give this your full focus and attention because a good run in this competition can be exciting and it can also give you memories for the rest of your life.
“You would be very naïve to underestimate this competition.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion but for me the FA Cup always has been and always will be a very special trophy to win and compete in.
“For Villa, moving forward, the cup competitions should be looked at as opportunities to impress ourselves and our supporters to do as well as we can.”
Monday's meeting is the first of back-to-back clashes between Villa and United with the Red Devils visiting Villa Park in the Premier League on Saturday.
Gerrard welcomes back skipper Tyrone Mings from suspension and plans to name his strongest side.
Gerrard, whose side are 13th, added: “I understand and respect the financial rewards of the Champions League and how big the Premier League has become, but as a player and manager you have to analyse where you’re at and what your ambitions are, and what is a possibility.
“Where we sit right now , the FA Cup is the only chance we have this season to win something, so we need to respect that and go and give this game everything we’ve got, leave everything on the pitch at Old Trafford and show this Cup is very important to us.
“While I’m Aston Villa manager we will approach every Cup game with respect, I can guarantee that.”
Gerrard was part of Liverpool’s side which knocked out United in 2006 in the fifth round en-route to lifting the FA Cup.
He would rather have met United later in the competition but acknowledges if Villa are to go deep, they will have to beat some big clubs.
He said: "At some stage in the competition, you would have to knock one of the favourites out along the way.
"Of course you would like those challenges to maybe come further down the line.
"Because a Cup run can gather momentum and confidence and belief so to get Manchester United in the first game is a big challenge.
"It will be really difficult.
"I think it has all the makings of being a real exciting classic Cup tie.
"We want to play our part in that but come away on the right side of the result."
