Aston Villa should prioritise persuading Steven Gerrard to take the manager's job rather than Frank Lampard, according to Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.
Villa have gone into the international break without a head coach after Dean Smith was sacked on Sunday.
What's the latest news involving Gerrard and Lampard?
A run of five consecutive defeats proved to be the fatal blow for Smith's reign, with chief executive Christian Purslow revealing it was felt a change in the dugout was needed now in order to allow a new boss enough time to implement changes.
Smith's dismissal quickly led to reports that Gerrard, who is currently in charge of Rangers, is being considered as a candidate to move into the Villa Park hotseat.
It has since been claimed that Villa will make a formal approach to the reigning Scottish Premiership champions as they look to speak to Gerrard this week, with the club determined to name the 41-year-old as Smith's successor.
While Gerrard appears to be the frontrunner for the job, he faces competition from former England international team-mate Lampard, who has also been linked.
Lampard is not just on Villa's radar as the 43-year-old is set to hold talks with Premier League rivals Norwich City over the vacancy at Carrow Road.
What has Luke Hatfield said about Gerrard and Lampard?
Hatfield would prefer to see Gerrard take over the reins at Villa Park than see Lampard move into the dugout.
The journalist feels Smith often got the better of Lampard during his time in charge of Derby County and suggests Gerrard is the better long-term option.
Hatfield told GIVEMESPORT: "If I had to pick, I'd probably take Gerrard.
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"It's interesting because Dean Smith always kind of had Lampard's number, particularly in the Championship.
"But if I had to pick one, it would be Gerrard and that's purely because I think he's got a little bit more potential as a manager."
How do Gerrard and Lampard's records compare?
Gerrard guided Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title last season, ending a decade-long wait for the Ibrox-based club.
The Liverpool legend has led the Gers to 142 wins from 224 matches in charge.
Lampard, meanwhile, is currently without a job after being sacked by Chelsea in January.
Despite managing both Chelsea - in competitions such as the Champions League - and Derby, Lampard has less experience than Gerrard in the dugout as he has only been at the helm for a total of 141 fixtures, winning 70 of them.