Michael Beale left Aston Villa at the beginning of June to become Queens Park Rangers’ new manager, ending a four-year working relationship with Steven Gerrard. The 41-year-old was assistant manager at Villa but had worked for alongside Gerrard at Liverpool and Rangers before the pair came to the Midlands.
Beale went under the radar, but his departure will have been a major blow to the Villa manager and players. Emiliano Martinez told Prime Video Sport that he was the one on the training ground doing all the talking and running the important meetings. The 41-year-old was seen as a co-manager by the squad, so the Claret and Blues could suffer in his absence.
Villa have acted quickly by appointing former Blackpool manager Neil Critchley, but Alan Hutton says Gerrard will be hurting from the surprise departure. He told Football Insider: “Nothing was hidden from Michael Beale’s point of view. He always wanted to go out on his own, and Gerrard will have given his blessing – but I think he’s very highly thought of and highly regarded in the football world.
“It’s very different to go from being a top coach to being a top manager. There’s a lot of pressure, and he’ll feel that when he’s in the hot seat at QPR. Of course, Gerrard will be disappointed to lose someone who was such a big part of what he does. He’ll have to move on himself, and they’ve brought a replacement in already.”
Villa finished 14th in the Premier League table with 45 points from 38 games, suffering more defeats and winning fewer matches than the previous season. Gerrard now has to turn the club around without his influential right-hand man, so this campaign will be a big test.
In other news, Gabriel Agbonlahor tips Aston Villa to sell Keinan Davis this summer
