McCoist calls for Gerrard to stay at ‘bigger club’ amid Villa interest

Ally McCoist has suggested that Rangers are a “bigger club” than Aston Villa as he calls for Steven Gerrard to turn down a move to the Villans.

Gerrard retired from professional football in 2016 after having a spell in the MLS with LA Galaxy.

The Liverpool legend took his first job in management in 2018 as he was appointed by Rangers.

Gerrard should grab Aston Villa chance while he can

The 41-year-old has done a great job in Scotland as last season he ended Rangers’ 10-year wait for a league title.

Under Gerrard, they have also performed well in Europe as they reached the round of 16 stages of the Europa League last season.

He has been linked with a return to the Premier League in recent days as Aston Villa are on the lookout for a new manager.

McCoist has told talkSPORT that staying at Rangers will keep Gerrard on track for the Liverpool job:

“Are you trying to tell me Aston Villa are a bigger club than Glasgow Rangers? Of course he should (stay at Rangers),” McCoist said.

“He wants the Liverpool job, what if he goes to Aston Villa if it doesn’t work out. He’s got a better chance of success at Rangers than he does at Aston Villa if he wants the Liverpool job.

“So he goes to Aston Villa and it doesn’t work out he’s not going to get the Liverpool job. He could stay at Rangers, retain the league, straight into the Champions League, that’s great success and a better chance of the Liverpool job.

“In terms of expectation there’s always far bigger expectation at Rangers (compared to Aston Villa).

“I thought Dean Smith might have earned himself a bit more time, however we know how cut throat football can be and he’s another one who’s at the guillotine as a football manager and I can understand it but I wouldn’t do it if I was Steven I’d stay where I was.”

Elsewhere, Jamie Carragher has suggested that Villa would be “great” for Gerrard:

“I think Aston Villa as a club would be a great move for Steven Gerrard, but the situation that he finds himself in right now is that he took the title off Celtic last season and he is in a great position to win it again,” Carragher said.

“I think in a perfect world you would want to stay at Rangers until the end of the season and come away from there with two titles.

“People talk about Liverpool. That might be two or three years with Jurgen Klopp.

“You won’t get many better offers than Villa but in a perfect world I think he wants to come away from Rangers with another two or three trophies.”