Leeds United's poor result at the weekend finally signalled the end for Jesse Marsch, who saw his time at Elland Road cut short just under a year into the job.

The American had struggled to truly find any consistency with the Whites, and despite avoiding the drop last season had failed to progress even with significant investment over the summer and January transfer windows.

His position became untenable as they slipped down to level on points with Everton, who sit in the relegation zone.

With a vacancy now in their dugout, Andrea Radrizzani has a mammoth task of ensuring that his next appointment is a perfect blend of young and progressive enough for a long-term project, but experienced enough to steer them to safety.

The rumours linking them with Steven Gerrard go against many of those principles, given how he had failed so miserably for Aston Villa only recently.

It could even be argued that the 42-year-old would represent a downgrade on Marsch, given his performance for the Midlands outfit and his lack of time in the managerial game.

Having taken over at Villa Park just a few months before the American did at Elland Road, they both were handed significant funds to kickstart their revolutions.

Given their similar timeframes within the job and the money spent, they bear plenty of striking similarities that should be enough to warn Radrizzani away from a potential repeat.

Across his 40 games in charge, Gerrard could only muster 13 wins at a points-per-game average of 1.18. Whilst this might be a minuscule improvement on Marsch's 1.16 during his 37 games, the gulf in quality between the teams should be enough to stand against the former Liverpool midfielder.

He inherited a side that sat just 16th after 11 games of the season and moved them up to 14th by its conclusion.

Meanwhile, his potential predecessor was handed a defensively-absent outfit that had crumbled under Marcelo Bielsa, weighed down by numerous injuries and a staunch belief in a philosophy that was not working.

Whilst he may have ultimately failed, Marsch did do well initially to get them somewhat back on track to avoid the drop last year.

Gerrard simply failed to progress a stable club despite being handed all the tools necessary. Villa's recent form under Unai Emery stands as further proof of how quick and easy it was to turn the club around.

Having been lambasted for looking "clueless" in the job and creating a team in that image by broadcaster Rupert Bell, this decision could truly be one that relegates Leeds.

The ex-Rangers boss is hardly an improvement on Marsch, whose side had not won in the league since early November, with his credentials hardly filling the aforementioned criteria.

He may be young but lacked a philosophy to propel Aston Villa forward, and does not boast the experience to offer any assurances about Premier League safety. This would be a ludicrous appointment and a backwards step for the club.