“Some people will say he has missed the boat recently” – Dion Dublin suggests Aston Villa should appoint 62-year-old ex-Premier League boss to replace Steven Gerrard

Dion Dublin believes Aston Villa should appoint Rafael Benitez as the club's manager following Steven Gerrard's dismissal. Gerrard was dismissed by the former European champions despite being in charge for less than a year.

The Villans have been in dreadful form since the beginning of 2022 and lie just above the relegation zone, with the team's lack of goals a real concern.

Aston Villa fans were vocal in their disapproval of the Liverpool legend and Dublin believes that the experienced Benitez could be the steady pair of hands they need. The former Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Chelsea boss has been out of work since being sacked by Everton in January.

⚽️'[The fans] did get behind him but things fell down when he lost Michael Beale'

🗣@ChrisWarburton_ speaks to Aston Villa fan @RickyCheema after the sacking of manager Steven Gerrard.

The former Aston Villa striker Dublin stated (as quoted by HITC Sport):

“I feel they need someone who has been there and knows how to deal with a big club. I don’t think they are going to go down the ‘let’s try him, he’s going to be good route’.

“Rafa (Benitez), he is out-of-work as well. Some people will say he has missed the boat recently. But I would say that someone like Rafa might work. It’s hard because I don’t know what the players are going to respond to and that’s the big thing.

“How do players react to boundaries? Do they want egos massaging? What do they want? Give it to them.”

Imagine Lucas Digne left Everton to escape Rafa Benitez only for Purslow to then hire him at Aston Villa anyway. The poor sod.

Alan Shearer believes some Aston Villa players 'didn't like' Steven Gerrard

In their first game since sacking Gerrard, Aston Villa pulled off a sensational 4-0 victory over Brentford under caretaker boss Aaron Danks.

Some believe this shows that Gerrard was holding the team back, while others have criticized the players for not performing while he was in charge.

Shearer believes that the former Rangers boss was clearly not popular at the Villa dressing room as the Premier League's record goalscorer told Match of the Day 2 (per The Mail):

"To me, it would look like one or two didn't like the manager, didn't like the way he was playing and they looked a lot freer today. You would think if Steven Gerrard's watching that wherever he is, then he's looking back and thinking 'goodness me, why couldn't we have had that last week?

"But then the manager has gone and he (Danks) has made changes. Dropped the captain, big decision, and everyone looked freer today."

1 - For the first time in the Premier League, Aston Villa had a player sent off, conceded a penalty and scored an own goal all in the same match. Self-destruct. https://t.co/e3WsxtpGSZ

After their 4-0 win against Brentford, Aston Villa are placed 14th with 12 points from as many matches.