Whilst Steven Gerrard has not wasted any time in upgrading his Aston Villa squad this summer, one particular position which remains untouched is that of a creative midfielder.

John McGinn is the obvious candidate for that berth, but he does not quite possess the flair required for the number eight role. One player who Villa already know well, and who Gerrard could potentially mould for that position in his image, is former loanee Ross Barkley.

The 28-year-old has reportedly been offered back to the Midlands outfit by Chelsea, who are looking to offload the midfielder. Everton are also linked with a move for their former player.

We know of Gerrard’s abilities as a player as he marauded up and down the pitch, scoring and setting up an abundance of goals in his Liverpool days. If he is to take Barkley off Chelsea’s hands, he has ample opportunity to bestow all his wisdom on his fellow Scouser.

The 28-year-old featured 26 times for the Villains in the 2020/21 season, scoring two goals in his first four games before injury struck him down and he never truly recovered.

However, even in his limited game-time last season, he impressed at times for the Blues. He averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.05 from his six Premier League appearances and 7.03 in three outings during their run to the Carabao Cup final.

The £100k-per-week maestro still possesses the talents which saw his former Everton boss Roberto Martinez label him a “special talent”, and with a little faith in him and a run in a team with considerably less pressure than the Stamford Bridge goldfish bowl, it could be a fine recipe for success. Barkley even offered 1.3 key passes per game and an 85.1% pass success rate last term, suggesting that he could provide a huge creative threat in an Aston Villa side with a wealth of attacking talent.

He could thrive in the three-man midfield that Gerrard prefers, and under the 42-year-old's tutelage, he could finally start working towards the potential which was evident from his time at Everton.

If Barkley gains even the smallest amount of Gerrard’s midfield ability from the Villa chief's managership, it could certainly be deemed a success, as he would deliver a huge additional attacking threat to a team looking to break into the top half of the Premier League.

AND in other news - Contact made: NSWE in talks for "extraordinary" £20m Villa target, it would be a huge coup.