Mings was Liverpool fan who idolised Gerrard and loves playing for him at Villa

Mings, 28, grew up supporting Liverpool and idolised the Reds legend, who he calls 'gaffer' as of last week.

Being chosen to lead by his all-time favourite leader must be something of a dream come true for Mings - and Gerrard's appointment sparked an immediate response.

The defender helped inspire Villa's 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton at both ends, keeping the Seagulls out and scoring a stunning goal to seal victory.

And Mings admits playing for Gerrard is everything he hoped it would be.

He told talkSPORT: "I think it's exactly like I would've imagined and I think it's exactly how he comes across, in both interviews and how he was as a player.

"He's very, very serious on the training pitch - because he has such a will to win and that spreads like wildfire through the team.

"Because he has standards for the team and also for himself and his staff.

"So when he sets those standards and lives by those standards as well, it's very easy for players to also get on board and think, 'We need to fall in line and raise our standards to want to better each other'.

"We've got players who aren't playing and want to be playing, we've got players who are playing and want to stay in the team.

"But we've also got players right through the squad, myself included, who want to get better and want to be seen as one of the best in their position in the league.

"With that comes training well every day and having high standards. I think the manager set that right from the first meeting that he gave here and right from the first conversations.

"As a player, he was always someone who led by example and, as a manager, he is very similar as well.

"I think if he could get his boots on and join in a lot more, he would. But he doesn't merge what he did as a player with what he's like as a coach. He is very much a manager and he is very well respected for being a manager.

"We're getting used to his management styles, the way he wants to play, how he wants to play both with and without the ball.

"It's something I'm loving at the moment. It's everything I thought it would've been."

Mings is clearly thrilled with the legend that ended up in the Villa Park dugout, but who would he take as a player in central midfield?

"I would pick Steven Gerrard all day long," Mings added.

"I was actually a huge admirer of Vieira as a kid, because that era of him and [Roy] Keane, Gerrard, [Frank] Lampard and [John] Terry - I would've loved to play in that era.

"I love the ferociousness of the game back then. Growing up, I was a Liverpool fan and Gerrard was the captain.

"So if you offered me the chance to put any central midfielder in there, it would be Steven Gerrard."