By Danny Mills

6th Jun, 2022 | 7:21pm

Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa reign may be rocked after source's behind-the-scenes reveal - pundit

It is “vital” for Neil Critchley to fit into Steven Gerrard’s coaching staff seamlessly if Aston Villa want to have a successful 2022-23 season, according to Danny Mills.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Leeds United and England defender delivered his verdict after Critchley replaced Michael Beale as Gerrard’s number two.

An Aston Villa source told Football Insider on Friday (3 June) that Beale left to become the new Queen’s Park Rangers boss last week (1 June) after falling out with players including John McGinn.

The Midlands giants moved quickly and announced the next day (2 June) that Blackpool manager Critchley had replaced Beale.

“Beale did a lot of the work at Rangers,” Mills told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.

“He’s still got a lot of senior people around him, people like Gary McAllister, which is important.

“When you lose your coach, it’s a vital role. I’m not sure how much of the coaching Stevie G takes.

“The coaching, the managerial situation has always been a number one and number two as a partnership. It’s always worked in that way.

“Sir Alex Ferguson was the manager but he always had fantastic coaches underneath him. That dynamic worked.

“It’s always been manager and coach. Maybe now it’s three, coach, head figure and a sporting director.

“That relationship between the three is key. When it works, it’s fabulous, look at Liverpool and Man City. When it doesn’t work it falls apart, look at Man United. You can see that.

“The relationship between first team coach, head coach and sporting director really has to be seamless. They all have to understand each other, understand the plan and sing from the same hymn sheet. If you get that right, then you’re onto a winner.

“If you get that wrong, you’re up against it.”

In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed Gerrard may have personally helped Aston Villa engineer a new deal.