The 27-year-old winger left Villa Park to move to the Netherlands in the summer when he joined Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.
A lack of game time at Aston Villa meant that El Ghazi even had a loan spell at Everton in the latter half of last season.
The Dutchman conceded that from the first training session under Gerrard it was clear to him that he was not going to play much given the way the former Aston Villa boss saw the game.
He insisted that Gerrard’s style of football was not suited for natural wingers and he was not the only wide man who struggled for form at Aston Villa under him.
El Ghazi told The Athletic: “In the first training session under Gerrard, he was trying to explain with his assistant manager on the pitch how he likes to play.
“A lot of thoughts were already in my head. I knew I had to get ready to not be wanted.
“I was trying to adapt to the way that he plays, and of course I can do it, but naturally, I am a winger. I like to stay wide, put crosses in, get into one-v-one situations and then maybe come inside.
“But he wanted you to start inside.
“It was different.
“That’s what I struggled with and I think Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet [other wingers Villa moved on] did, too.”
El Ghazi is enjoying football at PSV Eindhoven, where he has already scored five times in eleven appearances across all competitions this season.
The post I Knew – Former Aston Villa Winger On Struggles Under Steven Gerrard appeared first on Inside Futbol | Latest Football News, Transfer Rumours & Articles » Football - » Features | Inside Futbol - Online World Football Magazine.
