Steven Gerrard shared that Jurgen Klopp advised him to take some time with Liverpool’s Academy to learn his ideal tactical set-up before making headway into management.
The 41-year-old has already enjoyed some significant success in his career, securing the Scottish Premiership for Rangers after a 10-year wait for the trophy.
“His advice to me was: ‘Don’t go in with the name on your back. I’ve seen so many ex-players who played at a decent level just automatically think that they can become a good coach or a good manager,” the former Reds skipper told Paul Gorst at the Liverpool Echo.
“It’s important that you go and do two years with Liverpool’s youth teams away from the cameras, go and make mistakes, find out how you want to play, try formations, try tactics.
“Work out what team of people you need around you because you’ll be good in some areas, you won’t be good in others and get your team.
“Then you will know. You’ll get the right feeling and then an opportunity will come. And then you can decide what you want to do from there.’
“That is exactly how my journey started. I have not always wanted to do this, it has just fallen into place.”
In the English top-flight, of course, with all due respect to the pinnacle of Scottish football, it’s a very different beast, though one the Scouser has adapted well to following his mid-season departure from Glasgow.
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Evidently, the advice handed to him was well-received, with our former No.8 forming a sound team of coaches, including highly-rated Michael Beale, that have stuck with him for the move to the West Midlands.
The return to English football has since prompted speculation over his future and Klopp’s expiring contract at Anfield in 2014 being intertwined.
Whilst we’re impressed with what’s been on offer from the Villans thus far, we’ll need to see a lot more from Gerrard’s men before FSG and the recruitment team will genuinely consider him as a potential candidate to take over the reins from the popular German.
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