^*^ Neil Critchley leaves Blackpool to join Aston Villa as Steven Gerrard’s assistant

• Critchley led Blackpool to promotion from League One in 2021
• Gerrard knows former Liverpool coach from his playing days

Aston Villa have appointed the former Blackpool manager Neil Critchley as Steven Gerrard’s new assistant.

Critchley – who led Blackpool to promotion to the Championship in 2021 after a playoff win over Lincoln – will once again link up with Gerrard whom he knows from his days at Liverpool. The 43-year-old replaces Michael Beale at Villa who became the new Queens Park Rangers manager this week.

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