"Close to...": John Percy drops big Aston Villa update, Gerrard will be fuming - opinion

Aston Villa could well be nearing a notable summer setback, following an update on the future of assistant coach Michael Beale.

As per the Telegraph’s John Percy, the Englishman is close to leaving his post at Villa Park, with Championship side Queens Park Rangers said to be keen on appointing the 41-year-old as their new manager.

Having previously reported that Beale was a potential candidate for the Loftus Road outfit, the respected journalist has now taken to Twitter to reveal that an agreement is now imminent: “QPR are close to appointing Michael Beale as manager. Beale is very keen to become a No 1 and AVFC have known there was always a chance of this happening since appointing Steven Gerrard.”

The west Londoners have been searching for a new permanent appointment following the departure of former Brentford boss Mark Warburton at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, after three seasons at the helm.

After the highs of Villa’s early summer transfer business, this latest news will no doubt bring manager Steven Gerrard crashing back down to earth, with the Liverpool legend set to lose his trusty right-hand man in the coming days or weeks.

Formerly a part of the youth set-up with the Merseysiders, Beale was plucked by Gerrard following the latter man’s appointment as Rangers boss in the summer of 2018, with the duo going on to help guide the Old Firm outfit to a first league title in ten years in 2021.

The highly-rated coach then linked up with the former England captain again in the Midlands following Dean Smith’s sacking in November, with the expectation seemingly having been that he would remain a key part of the coaching set-up moving forward.

As it is, the Villans’ number two is now set for pastures new, leaving behind