Following a string of poor results which saw him manage only two wins in eleven matches, yesterday (Thursday) evening, Steven Gerrard was shown the exit door by the English Premier League side, Aston Villa.
The club announced Gerrard’s sacking on their website and on their various social media platforms.
A statement by the club read: “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect.
“We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
The former Liverpool captain was fired soon after Villa’s humiliation and a heavy 3-0 defeat to Fulham away at Craven Cottage.
His sacking will no doubt be welcomed by a number of Zimbabwean football lovers who have been repeatedly crying out loud to see their fellow countrymen and the Warriors star Marvelous Nakamba given some game time.
The former Bantu Rovers midfielder is yet to kick the ball for Villa this season.
He surprisingly fell down the pecking order in the English gaffer’s team.
This was despite having emerged as a vital cog in the team last season when Gerrard took over from Dean Smith in November 2021.
But this season, Nakamba who spent some months on the sidelines due a knee injury last campaign had been thrown into the periphery by the tactician.
He had fallen out of favour at the club and was reportedly out of Gerrard’s plans as the 42-year-old placed him on the transfer list in the summer.
However, he remained at the club after a deal to leave either on loan or permanently failed to materialise until the deadline day.
The Zimbabwean international has been struggling to get game time this season following the arrival of the French midfielder Boubacar Kamara in the summer.
Kamara signed for Villa as a free agent from Olympique Marseille and quickly became Gerrard’s first choice ahead of Nakamba.
Nevertheless, with Kamara out for months owing to a serious leg injury and also with the recent dismissal of Gerrard, could Nakamba revitalise his complicated and shaky career at Villa?
