Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Gerrard’s ‘ideal’ for Reds job
EXCLUSIVE
STEVEN GERRARD’S success at Rangers is setting him up for the Liverpool job.
That’s the view of Reds legend Phil Thompson.
In his first managerial post, Gerrard guided Gers to their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade last term.
And bookies offer only short odds about him taking over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield after making more than 500 appearances in a Liverpool shirt. Thompson says they are right to be so cautious because Gerrard fits the Kop bill perfectly.
“Gerrard has only a few years as a manager under his belt and Scotland isn’t the Premier League, but you need character to do what he’s done,” he said.
“You also need good recruitment of players – and I think he’s shown he’s good at that. To turn things around, like he’s done up there in Glasgow, has been phenomenal.
“Celtic had more money and better players. It was
going to be a tough job for him, but he’s delivered.”
Gerrard penned fresh terms at Rangers in 2019 and Klopp signed his new Liverpool contract on the same day. Both deals run until 2024.
Klopp has already publicly admitted he won’t be extending his contract any longer and would welcome some time away from the game.
But Thompson believes that, with three years to go until then, Gerrard’s return to Merseyside is by no means a done deal.
“When the jobs come up, you can’t turn them down,” added the former defender, who won seven league titles and three European Cups during his 13-year stay at the club.
“I think that if Liverpool do come calling, Gerrard might have already had another offer from a good football club and he might think he’s going to take it.
“But I do think that the Liverpool job will come round to Gerrard at some time.”