Sherwood defends Rodgers: He could have been managing Real Madrid

The Villans boss feels his Premier League counterpart is paying the price for his own success after raising the expectancy with a second place finish

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has leapt to the defence of Liverpool counterpart Brendan Rodgers, claiming the under-fire Ulsterman could have been Real Madrid boss but for fine margins.

A failure to replicate the title challenge mounted by the Reds in a thrilling 2013-14 campaign last term and a stumbling start to this season has seen pressure heaped on Rodgers' shoulders.

High-profile coaching duo Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp have both been linked with replacing him, yet Sherwood has backed Rodgers and believes his path could have been different had he won the league.

He said: "After that season Liverpool finished second, could they have kept hold of Brendan Rodgers?

"They're a massive club and they would have tried everything. But we might have seen him at Real Madrid.