Steven Gerrard has been hammered out of Aston Villa after his struggling side crashed to a dismal 3-0 defeat at Fulham on Thursday.
The former England and Liverpool captain’s dismissal came 11 months after succeeding Dean Smith at Villa Park.
He was relentlessly targeted by the Villa fans in attendance at Craven Cottage during the latter stages of the match against Fulham, which saw his side remain one place outside the Premier League’s drop zone after picking up just nine points from 11 matches.
Reports of 42-year-old Steven Gerrard being sacked were confirmed shortly after the full-time whistle in a short statement released by Aston Villa, who will now begin their search for a new permanent manager in due course.
A club spokesperson is quoted as saying: “We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
Villa has targeted former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, with conversations thought to have been held between intermediaries.
Gerrard is the fourth Premier League manager to have been relieved of his duties since the beginning of the campaign after Scott Parker, Thomas Tuchel, and Bruno Lage. He replaced Dean Smith at Villa Park in November of last year and leaves the club after an 11-month reign, during which he guided them to a 14th-placed finish at the end of last season.
Villa’s next game is at home to Brentford on Sunday and at this stage, it is unclear who will take charge, though Villa may choose to turn to former player Gary McAllister, who was part of Gerrard’s coaching staff.
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