Steven Gerrard is only two months into his role as Aston Villa manager, but the Midlands club are very much galvanised by the impact of their new boss in such a short space of time.
His two-month anniversary comes up a day after their disappointing 1-0 FA Cup third round defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford but Villa were the better side and can rue some profligate finishing and a questionable VAR call when Danny Ings thought he had equalised.
A big scalp is what Gerrard needs next and fortunately for him and his side, they have another chance to land one on Saturday evening when they face United again, this time at Villa Park.
Steven Gerrard has had a massive impact at Aston Villa in his two months as manager
Villa were unlucky to lose 1-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup third round on Monday
Villa face United again on Saturday, at Villa Park, where they have a chance to avenge the loss
That occasion will be significantly bolstered by the likelihood that in some capacity, Philippe Coutinho should be in line for his Villa debut. He is currently in France, having completed a medical and set to join up with the squad once a work permit is secured.
The arrival of the Barcelona and Brazil playmaker embodies what Gerrard has brought to Villa. He was influential in selling his vision for the club to Coutinho, his old Liverpool team-mate, and the 29-year-old will ignite the anticipation around Villa Park even further on Saturday night.
Villa are also in talks to sign the left-back Lucas Digne from Everton, another astute addition if it gets over the line.
Gerrard made a brilliant start to life in the Premier League as Villa sealed victories over Brighton and Palace before defeats against Manchester City and Liverpool sandwiched a win against Norwich.
The most disappointing moment would have been the 2-1 defeat away to Brentford on Jan 2. Having taken the lead through Ings, Brentford equalised just before half-time and then snatched a winner seven minutes from the end.
'I couldn’t believe we were level at half-time because the performance was really strong,' Gerrard said. 'It seemed to be a matter of when the second goal was going to come.
'In the second half we had a lot of possession, we created chances, but I’m really disappointed how we conceded the second goal. It’s a catalogue of errors.
'When I first come into this job we got some positive strong results because there was a lot of grit and people were putting their bodies on the line. I didn’t see that for the
