Dalglish Jnr: He’ll love MLS

AS a devoted fan of Liverpool and the rise of ‘soccer’ in America, you might expect Paul Dalglish — son of Liverpool legend Kenny and manager of Texas-based second division club Austin Aztex — to have mixed feelings about Steven Gerrard deciding to leave Anfield and head for MLS.

Instead, Dalglish Jnr believes Gerrard is leaving Liverpool at the right time to protect his legacy. He also believes the 34-year-old will love the anonymity for him and his family, wife Alex and their three daughters, after living his entire life in the goldfish bowl of his home city.

Although no official announcement has been made about his next club, Dalglish says: ‘LA Galaxy would be perfect for Steven at this stage of his career and I fully expect that is where he will go.

‘He will love that he will be able to go for a meal with his family and nobody will know who he is. Not nobody, but very few people will know he is in LA because it is not a football city.’

Dalglish has been in America for eight years, winning two MLS titles as a player with Houston Dynamo and now working as a coach.

He says Gerrard will love the lifestyle but is not in for a holiday, particularly with the travelling and weather players have to contend with.

‘What he will find is it can be a grind over here. A lot of Premier League teams suffer when they play in the Champions League and then have to travel back and play at the weekend. In MLS, that happens every other week.

‘A lot of players like LA because the climate is consistent, it’s not extreme. It’s a good fit for Steven, they have money to spend after the retirement of Landon Donovan. I am sure I will bump into him and have a beer.’