Jamie Carragher can see the positives in a move to Aston Villa for Rangers boss Steven Gerrard but questions the timing of a departure from Ibrox.

The Premier League club are on the search for a new manager after sacking Dean Smith on Sunday following a run of five consecutive defeats.

Gerrard and Roberto Martinez are reportedly among the frontrunners to take over at Villa Park.

However, Carragher noted that his former England and Liverpool team-mate has the possibility of a second successive cinch Premiership title win as the champions moved four points ahead of Old Firm rivals Celtic with a 4-2 win over Ross County on Sunday.

He told Sky Sports said: “I think Aston Villa as a club would be a great move for Steven Gerrard.

“But the situation he finds himself in right now is that he took the title away from Celtic last season, and he’s in a great position to win it again.

“I think in a perfect world you’d want to stay at Rangers to the end of the season and come away from there with two titles.

“I mean, this is not something coming from Steven Gerrard but, ‘Look I’ve been in a job for four years in the Scottish Premiership’, and I think sooner or later there’s going to be a great chance Steven Gerrard is going to come to the Premier League.

“But for me, it’s a difficult one.

“If he got offered the Aston Villa job, I don’t think there’d be many jobs in the Premier League which he would get offered better than that.

“People talk about Liverpool, and that might be another two or three years with Jurgen Klopp but you’re not going to get any jobs better, so it would be a decision for him.”

“But, in a perfect world, I think Steven Gerrard wants to come away from Rangers with another couple of trophies.”