Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher says his old team-mate Steven Gerrard will only end up getting the manager’s job at Anfield on merit.
The former Liverpool captain has just been appointed manager of Aston Villa, having impressed in a spell in charge of Scottish Premiership club Rangers.
It will be interesting to see how Gerrard copes with life in the Premier League, but many fans will no doubt be keeping an eye on his progress and view his spell at Villa Park as a possible warm-up for one day becoming Liverpool manager.
The former England international looks like he has a bright future in management, but it won’t be easy replacing a world class tactician like Jurgen Klopp, who has been one of the finest coaches of his generation.
Carragher insists that whoever replaces Klopp at Liverpool will have to be another top manager, so no one should expect Gerrard to just get the job due to being a legend from his playing days.
“I can promise you this: Steven Gerrard will only ever want to become Liverpool manager on merit, and the Liverpool supporters will only want him to become Liverpool manager on those terms, not because of some kind of romantic homecoming,” Carragher wrote in his column in the Telegraph.
“When Klopp goes, Liverpool will only employ the best man for the job, as they did when making their last appointment in 2015. Gerrard’s connection is an advantage if the day comes when he is a serious candidate. Until then, it is a subject overplayed and should not be on the agenda right now.
“As with everything he has done since becoming my teammate in 1999, and then captain for the majority of my career, his sole professional focus will be on the task at hand – in this case turning Villa into a Premier League force again.”