Blackburn next manager: Ex-Aston Villa boss in running
Blackburn Rovers are in the hunt to hire a new manager after John Eustace left Ewood Park to take charge at Derby County last week.
The former Birmingham manager left Blackburn to join Derby on 13 February with the Lancashire club sitting in fifth place in the Championship.
Rovers will be keen to get a new man in place quickly to continue their playoff push and give them the best chance of securing promotion to the Premier League.
Steven Gerrard could get Blackburn job in shock twist
Steven Gerrard came to Villa Park with considerable fanfare after guiding Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title in 2020/21.
However, Gerrard’s reign in charge of Aston Villa was miserable and he was sacked in October 2022 after winning just 13 of his 40 matches in the dugout.
The ex-Villa boss is an outside candidate to return to England and take the Ewood Park vacancy, according to the latest bookmakers odds.
The 44-year-old is 10/1 to become the next Blackburn manager with Bet Victor after his Saudi departure.
Former Wolves manager Gary O’Neill is the 6/4 favourite for the role with George Boateng and Raphael Wicky at 5/1.
Gerrard needs to prove himself if he gets Blackburn role
The Liverpool legend has endured a rough time in his managerial career in recent years after making a brilliant start to his coaching career in Scotland.
He completely transformed Rangers fortunes, taking them to an unexpected league title in which his side went unbeaten through the 2020-21 campaign.
That led to a dismal stint at Aston Villa, where Gerrard struggled with the step up in quality and proved that he was not ready to be a Premier League manager.
His latest spell in the dugout has done very little to suggest that he deserves another chance in English football after he parted ways with Al-Ettifaq via mutual consent in January.
If the legendary midfielder is hired by the former Premier League side then he will need to prove himself all over again given the doubts over his managerial ability that have emerged following two departures from his recent roles.
Considering his determined personality and the tactical ability that he showed with the Gers, it would not be a surprise if he turns his reputation around at Ewood Park and makes the move a success if he is handed the role.