Steven Gerrard shock claims made over why Aston Villa players 'weren't having him'

Steven Gerrard lost the Aston Villa dressing room due to his man-management style, according to claims made by a current Premier League star.

Gerrard was sacked last week after a 3-0 defeat at Fulham capped a miserable start to the season that saw him guide Villa to just two wins from their opening 11 fixtures.

His dismissal came less than a year after leaving Rangers in order to take up his first managerial post in the English top flight, but things have not gone according to plan.

Villa responded to his departure by thrashing Brentford 4-0 in their next match, and current West Ham striker Michael Antonio shared what he had heard about the reasoning behind Gerrard's struggles at Villa Park.

Former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard was sacked by Aston Villa after starting the season with just two wins in 11 matches. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Speaking on the Footballer's Football Podcast, Antonio said: “Honestly, what I’ve heard on the grapevine is that there were a few players who weren’t really having him.

"I’m not too sure how many there were but what I heard is that a few players weren’t really having him and didn’t like how he was.

“It wasn’t how he wanted to play, it was more how he was as a manager himself and how he dealt with the players. That’s what I heard.”

The podcast also featured Newcastle forward Callum Wilson who felt the shock decision to strip Tyrone Mings of the Villa captaincy in favour of Scotland midfielder John McGinn might have led to problems for Gerrard.

Wilson said: “Those kinds of situations can have a snowball effect and not for a positive, it’s gone negative.

“When you see the news of that come up you’re a bit taken aback by it as well. I think it was a bit harsh, especially with Mings who was in the England setup at the time. But that’s a decision a manager makes and he stands by that and if you ask Gerrard he’d probably say he wouldn’t change that decision.

“I guess you make your bed and you lay in it and, at the end of the day, it wouldn’t have been that that got him the sack.

“Overall it was the performances but, then, I think the attackers weren’t scoring enough goals then the manager would come out in the media and say they weren’t scoring and this and that.”