Steven Gerrard was aware that his time was up at Aston Villa when fans started chanting for him to go, marking the end of a turbulent 11 months after leaving Rangers.
It's been a dramatic week for the former midfielder, who was sacked by the Villans after a poor start to the Premier League season reached a breaking point in Thursday's 3-0 loss to Fulham. It was only last November that Gerrard left Rangers - where he won the Premiership in 2021 - for a crack at England's top flight but it has not worked out.
Former Liverpool teammate Robbie Fowler claims that the ex-Ibrox boss was aware it was all over when the Villans supported demanded he be sacked, but anticipates him holding out for another EPL gig or upwardly-mobile Championship club. He told the Sunday Mirror: "He knew, when the Aston Villa fans started chanting against him, that his days were numbered.
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"When that happens, it doesn't matter who you are, what potential you have and what you've done... the game is almost always up. I think he knew it.
"For me, Steven's best bet is to wait for a Premier League job where he has the chance to develop a team - and the backing to do it. Knowing him as I do, he'll still have a fierce belief in himself, and he won't want to drop down.
"He has standards certainly, and will stick to them. But I wouldn't rule out a Championship club with ambition, and an owner with a bit of bottle. One thing I can guarantee, he still has a lot to offer as a manager, and this is not the end of him, for sure."
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