With Aston Villa's reported interest in Luis Suarez set to come to nothing, Steven Gerrard should consider unleashing Keinan Davis in his first-team next season.

Villa have been widely touted as a potential destination for the legendary Uruguayan following his departure from Atletico Madrid, with Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho the obvious Liverpool connections, but it now seems as if he won't be reuniting with his former teammates this summer.

Therefore, after a season which saw Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings manage just 18 Premier League goals between them in 65 appearances, Gerrard should give Davis an extended run in the side during the 2022/23 campaign.

The 24-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Nottingham Forest and he was a key member of Steve Cooper's side as they earned promotion back to the Premier League via the playoffs.

The striker would make 18 appearances in the Championship for the Reds, in which he contributed five goals and two assists, averaging an impressive 7.17 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Davis earned a lot of plaudits for his hold-up play and work rate in Cooper's side and it is no surprise that they are linked with signing him permanently following their promotion.

Teammate Steve Cook sang his praises last season, saying:

“Keinan has been outstanding. He’s probably a bit of an unsung hero for us at the moment, because he’s doing the hard work. He’s bullying defenders and he’s connecting the play from back to front, without scoring the goals he probably would have liked so far.

“He’s looked such a threat."

Neither of Watkins or Ings can be said to regularly bully defenders, and Davis could be the ideal man to hold the ball up for the likes of Emi Buendia, Coutinho and Jacob Ramsay who could play in behind him.

While he might lack the goalscoring prowess of Suarez, Davis represents a much cheaper, younger option for Gerrard next season, and his contributions on loan at Forest suggest he's ready for a chance in the Premier League.

And, in other news... Romano delivers transfer update that'll frustrate Villa fans