Gerrard doomed himself with ‘friction’ in the camp, claims ex-Villa star Hutton

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    Was Steven Gerrard the master of his own demise at Aston Villa? Well, his decision to strip Tyrone Mings of the captain's armband in July certainly didn't help, according to former Villan Alan Hutton.

    Gerrard was given his marching orders last week following his side's humiliating 3-0 defeat to Fulham to finally bring his sorry spell at Villa Park to an end.

    Despite initially hitting the ground running after replacing Dean Smith in November last year, the Liverpool icon endured a miserable 2022 at the helm as he struggled to lift Villa away from the foot of the table.

    READ MORE: Gary Neville had better win rate at Valencia than Steven Gerrard did at Aston Villa

    Rumours that he'd lost the dressing room have been circling for weeks, and Hutton reckons Gerrard's controversial decision to change captains over the summer generated needless "friction" within the camp.

    "It's a problem that you don't need at the start of a season and that could bring friction in the dressing room," Hutton said speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport, courtesy of Cheeky Punter.

    Will Gerrard have to drop down to the Championship for his next job? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

    "I spoke to [new captain] John [McGinn] and he said there wasn't any [friction] but it can be difficult to be the captain one minute and then have it taken away from you and you are not even playing.

    "It's a hassle you don't need so he might look back and think he could have handled it differently."

    Mings had been Villa skipper since Jack Grealish's £100m departure to Manchester City in 2021, though he'd spent lengthy periods with the armband when Grealish was out injured.

    Gerrard insisted he took the armband off the centre back because he wanted him to focus on improving his game without the added pressure of being captain, before dropping him for Villa's first match of the season against Bournemouth.

    Hutton meanwhile made over 200 appearances for Villa between 2011 and 2019. The former Tottenham and Rangers full-back enjoyed something of a career renaissance at the club with the fans dubbing him "The Scottish Cafu" in honour of his impressive defensive exploits.

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