Former Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard told he deserves another shot at managing in England

Former Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is being tipped to make his mark in England, despite his previous troubles that saw him struggle at Villa Park.

His former England teammate and former Villa defender, Martin Keown, believes Gerrard deserves another bite of the cherry in England.

Gerrard, who is currently managing Ettifaq, has been under increasing scrutiny following a 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Al Qadisiyah in the Saudi Pro League, which led to him being booed off the pitch by fans.

This defeat left Gerrard's team in 11th place and marked their fourth loss in six matches, coming on the heels of a surprising 3-1 defeat to lower-league Al-Jabalain in the King's Cup.

Ettifaq hasn't tasted victory in a Saudi Pro League match for two months, leading to fans turning against the former Reds star.

To date, Gerrard has only managed to secure 17 wins out of his 47 games in the Gulf State. If he were to be sacked, it would be his second consecutive dismissal after losing his job following a challenging tenure at Aston Villa.

Villa has since undergone a transformation under his successor, Unai Emery, and currently sits atop the Champions League league table.

Despite Gerrard's struggles at both Villa Park and Ettifaq, ex-Aston Villa player Keown remains optimistic about the Liverpool legend's future. He firmly believes that Gerrard deserves another opportunity to manage in England, even if his stint in Saudi Arabia ends poorly.

"Well, I suppose you have to make it count when you're on these shores, don't you? " Keown commented on talkSPORT 's White and Jordan show. "So obviously Rangers, he did very well. Went to Villa and it was a huge disappointment."

"I had high hopes for Steven Gerrard to become a top manager. I think he's due another chance, Jim, when he comes back to the UK."

"I just felt that there was an empathy with him. There's an understanding of the game. He wants to be a manager so desperately. He's put in the hard miles. I know you're getting paid an absolute fortune, it's the other side of the world. He wants it to work."

"He looked like he was destined along with Frank Lampard. We were recently looking for an England manager. I think if those two would have trained on and done what we expected them to do, then they probably would be managing their country right now."

"But the other side of the coin is he could well lose his job now in Saudi Arabia. He has to decide what he wants next and how ambitious is he and much does he believe in himself."

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