FORMER England defender Paul Parker reckons Steven Gerrard will have anticipated a Celtic turnaround before deciding to leave Rangers.

The Liverpool legend departed Ibrox this week as he linked up with Premier League outfit Aston Villa.

Parker admits it was a brave move by Gerrard, but he believes he had to take the chance ahead of a tight Scottish Premiership title race.

Speaking to BetfredTV, he said: “I think it’s a big step and I think it’s a brave step. People thought he’d stay at Rangers and get a bit more behind him but this year looks like they're going to have to compete more with Celtic.

"If Rangers were to lose out to Celtic then it would have possibly put Steven back a bit and he could have anticipated that.

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"Steven Gerrard was always a brave player who never hid and he’s willing to take that gamble, so really I think you need to pat him on the back and say well done for taking it.”  

Looking ahead to Gerrard's job at Villa, Parker reckons the Birmingham based outfit need to propel themselves into the top six to be deemed a success.

He added: “Success for Steven Gerrard is just doing a successful job. People can talk about winning things but that’s a bonus for Aston Villa.

"He just needs to get them into a better position that fits the football club. I think the top six has to be it for Aston Villa.

"They’re the biggest club in Birmingham without a doubt because of what they’ve got behind them and they're a club that can entice the right type of players if they’re in the right position.

"The fact they’ve got a big name manager will now help them as well in terms of attracting players and that’s probably what their owners would have been looking at. Dean Smith may have not fitted the profile they wanted.”