'It's a risk' - Ex-Villa man warns against move for 19-cap ace; Gerrard thinks he's a 'leader'

Former Aston Villa striker Frank McAvennie has warned Steven Gerrard against a move for Rangers centre-back Filip Helander. 

A Villa Park source recently told Football Insider that the 41-year-old was considering revisiting his former employers in an attempt to bring the Swedish defender to the Midlands.

The 29-year-old was signed for the Light Blues by the current Villa boss in 2019, arriving at Ibrox for £3.5m from Serie A outfit Bologna (BBC).

Since then, Helander has gone from strength to strength in Scotland, being an integral part of the Rangers side which lifted the Premiership title in 2020/21.

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie – who represented Villa three times in the first Premier League season – has suggested that Gerrard could be best served to look elsewhere for central defensive reinforcements.

The 62-year-old said: “Helander is alright but the Premier League is a big jump. It’s not like Van Dijk. When he was at Celtic, it was clear he was miles better than anyone else.

“He had to move to the Premier League, he was too good. He used to just stroll around the pitch. When you see players like that, you know they are going to do great things.

“Is Helander that player? I’m not sure. Fair play to him though, Gerrard must think he’s good enough.

“I just wonder with the money Villa have and where they want to be, would they not be looking at a player with Premier League experience. It’s a risk, for me.”

Not only is the 19-cap Sweden international unproven in the Premier League, at 29 and with a worrying injury track record there seems not much scope for him to quickly adapt to life in the English top flight.

This season, Helander has made just 11 appearances across all competitions, falling way short of an