Bengaluru, November 16: Premier League great Steven Gerrard has been recently announced as the manager of Aston Villa and the football fans are keen to see what he can offer to the underperforming Midlands club.
The former Liverpool skipper has had a stellar managerial career so far with Scottish giants Rangers but his true credentials as a manager is set to be tested now in the most competitive football league in Europe.
Aston Villa have a pretty decent squad at their disposal following a pretty eventful transfer window but Dean Smith could not manage to find the right formula to success at Villa Park.
We have to wait and see whether Gerrard manages to achieve what Smith couldn't.
In this article, we will take a look at three Villa players who could prove to be decisive under Gerrard.
Danny Ings
Ings has been one of the best strikers outside the top six teams in the Premier League for quite some time now and was one of the big money signings made by Villa in the summer. The Englishman had a decent start to life at Villa Park but his impact faded with time as the Lions struggled for goals. With the quality he has at his disposal, Ings is certainly going to be a key piece in Gerrard's system and he has to deliver if Gerarrd has to succeed at the Midlands club. A hard-working striker who can bring others into the game and with a good eye for goal, Ings has all the ingredients to succeed under Gerrard.
Leon Bailey
Bailey was another high-profile name to have moved to Villa Park in the summer but has found to extremely difficult to stay injury free. The Jamaica international showed brief glimpses of what he is capable of doing but he is yet to be truly unleashed in the Premier League. If the 24-year-old can find his fitness, he will certainly be one of the key assets of Gerrard. A fleet-footed winger who can slot in on either flanks who is excellent on the ball and can create as well as score himself. Bailey can potentially take the next step as a footballer under the tutelage of a Premier League icon.
Emiliano Buendia
Buendia was the biggest signing made by Aston Villa but the Argentinian has so far looked like a shadow of the player he was at Norwich City. Dean Smith struggled to find the best role for the technically brilliant and creative footballer as he constantly changed his position between the right flank and number ten. Gerrard has so far shown that he is a manager who likes to play on the front foot keeping the ball and he will definitely be looking to build his squad around the gifted Argentine international.