Steven Gerrard reveals why he stripped Tyrone Mings of Aston Villa captaincy - what’s Mings said?

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has revealed the reason behind his decision to strip Tyrone Mings of the club captaincy.

John McGinn is to replace the England defender as Villa’s captain, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez taking over as vice-captain, and Ashley Young assuming the role of club captain.

In an interview posted on Aston Villa’s official Twitter page, Gerrard gave his reasons for the decision.

He said: “In my position it’s always about making tough decisions, that’s what I get paid to do. It’s not a decision I made overnight, It wasn’t a traffic light decision it was something that i’ve analysed for many months, for six months if you like, since i’ve been in.

“I’ve analysed all the players and the staff individually, and the captaincy was the one area I had to give some time to. I wanted to be patient, and I wanted to look at all the players and give them a fair opportunity to have the honour and I’ve decied to go with John McGinn for many different reasons.

“He for me was the standout candidate. I inherited a situation where Tyrone was the captain and I didn’t really want to disturb that. The priority when I came in was to manoeuvre the team away from relegation, and then I knew I would have a summer to have real valuable thinking time, and I would also have a pre-season to live with these players around the clock so I think the timing is right and other people would have wanted the decision a lot quicker but I wanted to give it as much time as I can. I think the timing is right now for John to step forward and for people to adapt to that decision.”

In a statement on Villa’s website, Gerrard also said: “I believe that not having the responsibility of the captaincy will allow Tyrone to focus more on his own game which can only benefit him and the team.”

You can watch the clip below

What has Mings said about the decision?

Mings insisted he has “no issues” with Gerrard’s choice.

“For me this isn’t about John or I, it’s about what’s right for Aston Villa,” Mings tweeted.“I have no issues with the manager’s decision; I’ve loved leading this team. Anyone who knows @jmcginn7 knows how infectious he is and it will be an honour to play underneath his captaincy.”

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