Michael Beale was the secret to new Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard's success during his Rangers reign, according to journalist Stuart Hodge.
Gerrard has been unveiled as Villa's head coach this morning, with the 41-year-old opting to head south of the border rather than remain with the Scottish Premiership champions.
What's the latest news involving Gerrard?
Gerrard has moved into the Villa hotseat after the Midlands club sacked Dean Smith on Sunday.
He has taken charge of a club finding themselves two points clear of the Premier League relegation zone after a run of five defeats in succession.
The Telegraph has reported that Villa forked out a compensation fee of close to £3million to prise Gerrard away from Rangers, with assistant boss Gary McAllister and first team coach Beale among backroom staff members expected to follow him to Villa Park.
Gerrard's first job in senior management proved to be a success, with him leading Rangers to their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade last season.
That is the former England international midfielder's only piece of silverware since moving into the dugout, but he has left Ibrox having racked up 124 wins from 192 matches.
What has Stuart Hodge said about Gerrard?
While Gerrard has enjoyed success during the early stages of his managerial career, Hodge believes a large amount of that is down to the hard work of Beale.
Beale was a key member of Gerrard's backroom staff at Ibrox and is expected to be among the coaching staff at Villa.
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Hodge feels Gerrard would not necessarily be in the position he currently finds himself in were it not for the influence of Beale behind the scenes.
The journalist told GIVEMESPORT: "Gerrard is the manager and Beale's the coach, essentially.
"Beale is the brains behind the operation, whereas Gerrard is very much the face and the front of it."
What do we know about Beale?
Gerrard was appointed as Rangers' boss in the summer of 2018 and ended Celtic's nine-year dominance by securing top spot in the Scottish Premiership last term.
Key to that success was Beale, who played a leading role within Liverpool's academy before Gerrard persuaded him to move north of the border shortly after his switch to Ibrox.
Although Beale's appointment at Villa has yet to be confirmed, Rangers' statement revealing Gerrard's departure wished his backroom staff well for the future, which seems to suggest he has also left Ibrox.