Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow was blown away by the vision Steven Gerrard set out in his Villa Park interview, The Athletic's Gregg Evans writes

The lowdown

Gerrard is preparing to take charge of his first Aston Villa game on Saturday, with Brighton and Hove Albion travelling to the Midlands.

His appointment was made official on 11 November, just four days on from the sacking of Dean Smith.

The Liverpool icon joins from Scottish giants Rangers, where he broke Celtic's stranglehold with an unbeaten run to the 2020/21 title in what was his first senior managerial role.

The latest

Evans lifts the lid on some of the 'finer details' of the 'five hours of talks' that took place following Smith's dismissal.

Gerrard explained how he would make Villa 'exciting and attractive to watch', which particularly delighted sporting director Johan Lange.

He also offered a 'thorough' analysis of the current squad and a plan for blooding youngsters from the academy.

Purslow apparently regarded it as 'one of the most engaging' interviews he's ever conducted.

"What a start," Evans wrote in an accompanying tweet.

The verdict

This could well be music to the ears of many Villa fans with the Gerrard era about to get underway.

His promises regarding young players are particularly noteworthy given the strength of Villa's academy roster.

Cameron Archer might be among those fancying his chances of breaking into the first-team if he can catch the manager's eye.

Villa handed Gerrard a contract that runs until 2025, which has to be seen as a significant show of faith in his ability to nurture and develop the current squad.

That's a year longer, for example, than Newcastle's new owners have initially given Eddie Howe.

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