Rio Ferdinand explains Steven Gerrard reason behind shock Aston Villa form

Former Man United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has explained why Aston Villa performances have dipped of late.

Villa have suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats against Premier League strugglers Newcastle and Watford.

Without a win in three, Gerrard's men are now 12th in the Premier League and have a difficult trip to Brighton approaching on Saturday.

Ferdinand has put Villa's dip in form down to the fact that boss Steven Gerrard has not had enough time to find out about the personalities in his squad.

"They're inconsistent to say the least," Ferdinand said on his show Vibe with Five.

"This Villa team are not producing the results we've expected since (Gerrard) came in there.

"Watford... I don't know how they got that result. Based on form, they haven't been playing well.

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"(For Gerrard) it's difficult. He's new at the club so he's still finding out about characters and people. We've got to