Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard believes Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins can form a lethal striker partnership.

Watkins scored his first goal since December to help Villa claim a 2-0 win over Brighton last weekend.

It was the first match Watkins and Ings had started together in a month, and Gerrard hopes their partnership can flourish.

He said: "My job is not to listen to outside noise and what has gone previously. My job is to analyse what I see on a daily basis.

"I see two top centre-forwards who are capable of scoring goals at this level. Of course, they are a work in progress as a partnership. But they get along well off the pitch and they have the talent to play together.

"It worked on Saturday but it does not mean we are always going to use this system and this way. We have to have different ways and different answers off the pitch."