December 10, (THEWILL) – Jurgen Klopp believes it is only a matter of time before ex-Liverpool player Steven Gerrard takes over as manager at Anfield.
Gerrard previously managed Liverpool’s Under-18s before taking charge of Glasgow Rangers in May 2018.
As THEWILL reported, the 41-year-old left Rangers for Aston Villa in November and will play Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon for the first time since his departure.
Ahead of the encounter, Klopp revealed that he was confident that Gerrard will one day manage the club where he grew up.
“I think absolutely,” he said when asked if he believed Gerrard will end up at Anfield. “The only problem is, when is the right moment for that? We saw that with Frank [Lampard] during his time at Chelsea, which was a similar story.
“Stevie’s doing really well at the moment because he’s very young for a manager so when is the right moment for him to take the job? It’s not that he’s not able to do it but how long he wants to do it.”
To open his press conference, Klopp relayed a personal experience: “I know [Gerrard] said ‘no sentiment’, he’s an experienced coach, but he has no idea how it will feel when he steps into the stadium/dugout. I had a similar thing the first time I went back to Mainz.
“Stevie is friends with 99.9 percent of the people who work at Liverpool. And the 0.1 percent just haven’t met him yet. I celebrated at Mainz [with BVB] like a crazy devil. Stevie is allowed to do that tomorrow. Let’s just hope he has no reason to do so.”
“After the last game [Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester], I sent him a message ‘Not bad at all! See you!’ But we didn’t speak,” Klopp responded when asked if he had spoken to Gerrard recently.
The conversation then turned to the prevailing virus. Klopp said the rise of the Omicron COVID-19 variant means his side needs to be cautious when preparing for matches.
The Liverpool gaffer said: “Tough, tough situation, obviously, for the world. When I came in this morning, then obviously the Premier League sets a few new, or old, standards we have to go back to. We try to be as cautious and careful as somehow possible, do all the things. (There) Might be an extra test per week.
“So with Champions League games we get tested twice a week, now we probably get tested three times a week. I’m completely fine with that. No problem. We test every morning. So, yeah, that’s it. And of course, on top of that, we try to boost all the people if possible.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
