Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard left his coaching job with the Reds U-19’s to take up the vacant job at Scottish Premiership side Rangers and Reds boss Jurgen Klopp sent the former midfielder a congratulatory message, backing him to excel in his new position.
“If Stevie thinks it’s the right moment then I’m sure it is the right moment. If he thinks he’s ready then he’s ready,” Klopp was quoted as saying by the club website.
“How I know it, Rangers are a big club in a little bit of a difficult moment still but a much better moment than a few years ago. It could be a really good fit, it could be nice, coming closer to Celtic.”
“I’m pretty sure Celtic supporters don’t think, ‘Thank God, Steven Gerrard’. They think, ‘Wow, Steven Gerrard’. That can always be a sign.”
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Gerrard won’t be the only former Reds employee to be plying his trade in Scotland for former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is running the show at Celtic.
“Stevie is one of the best midfielders ever. Now he wants to be ae manager. He has the passion for football and the knowledge about football. All the rest is to learn; I’m sure he learned a lot in the last year.”
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“I’m really happy for him to have the opportunity,” the German stressed.
Gerrard, a product of Liverpool’s Academy, played for the Merseysiders from 1998-2015 and won the lot, except the Premier League, during a glittering career.
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A brief sojourn with Major League Soccer (MLS) side LA Galaxy followed before Gerrard returned to his boyhood club to become the youth coach.
The 37-year-old managed the U-18 and U-19 sides both during the 2017-18 season, before making the step up to join the Scottish giants.