Expert cites Virgil van Dijk as Aston Villa sent warning over planned signing
It would be a risk for Aston Villa to sign Rangers defender Filip Helander this summer.
That’s according to former Villains hitman Frank McAvennie, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the defender’s future.
A Villa source told Football Insider last week (19 April) Gerrard is a big admirer of Helander, 29, and keeping tabs on him ahead of the summer.
As detailed by this site (18 April), Villa are in the market for a new left-sided centre-back.
Gerrard signed Helander for Rangers in the summer of 2019.
McAvennie claims Helander can do a job in the Premier League but he cannot be compared to Virgil van Dijk when he was at Celtic.
“Helander is alright but the Premier League is a big jump,” McAvennie told Football Insider correspondent Ben Wild.
“It’s not like Van Dijk. When he was at Celtic, it was clear he was miles better than anyone else.
“He had to move to the Premier League, he was too good. He used to just stroll around the pitch.
“When you see players like that, you know they are going to do great things.
“Is Helander that player? I’m not sure. Fair play to him though, Gerrard must think he’s good enough.
“I just wonder with the money Villa have and where they want to be, would they not be looking at a player with Premier League experience.
“It’s a risk, for me.”
Helander has played 60 times for Rangers since joining in 2019.
He has come back from two serious injuries while at Ibrox but is out for the season with a foot problem.
In other news, an ex-goalkeeper has been left baffled by a “surprise” Aston Villa reveal – “miles off it”.