LIVERPOOL great Steve McManaman believes Rangers manager Steven Gerrard could move to Manchester City of Spurs before returning to Anfield.
Speculation that Gerrard will go back to his former club has intensified this week in the wake of Rangers’ historic 55th Scottish title success.
The 40-year-old yesterday admitted that he would love to manage the Premier League club where he spent the majority of his playing career and enjoyed enormous success.
But he stressed that Jurgen Klopp, the German coach has won the Champions League and the English top flight during his time on Merseyside, could remain in charge at his boyhood hearoes for another 10 years.
McManaman, who played alongside Gerrard at Liverpool briefly before joining Real Madrid in 1999, feels the Reds great could chose to move elsewhere down south if he receives a tempting offer.
Asked by HorseRacing.net whether he could see Gerrard joining one of Liverpool’s adversaries instead, he said: “Yes I could, of course I could. I mean all it depends on what Steven wants, but if Jurgen wants to manage Liverpool for the next 10 years and Steven gets an offer to manage, I don’t know, a Tottenham or a Man City, he might feel that’s more palatable than waiting for Liverpool.”
However, McManaman acknowledged that Gerrard may consider that moving to one of Liverpool’s opponents would jeopardise his chances of succeeding Klopp at Anfield one day and decide to stay put at Rangers.
“It’s entirely up to him,” he said. “But I think his dream job would be to manage Liverpool and he wouldn’t want to spoil that.
“I think if he did have any offers he would always take that consideration about whether it tarnishes or stops him from getting the Liverpool job. If he got the Manchester United job that would tarnish him getting the Liverpool job. His ideal job in the future would be him managing Liverpool, it just goes hand in glove doesn’t it?”
McManaman continued: “With the pressures of Rangers and Celtic and having 50,000 fans who live and breathe football in Glasgow and you’re either one or the other, it’s just a perfect rehearsal for managing Liverpool isn’t it?
“Everyone goes on about experience and Liverpool’s a big team and this and that but you try and tell anyone in Glasgow that Rangers and Celtic aren’t big teams.
“He’s had three years there, he knows Liverpool inside out, he’s worked in the academy, he’s gone to Rangers and lived that life which is incredibly, incredibly intense, more intense probably than a lot of big Premier League teams.
“In three years he’s hunted down Celtic, caught them up, and shot right past them. He does really well in Europe, had a great run last year, hasn’t been beaten this year. His record this year shouldn’t be talked down just because people have a disrespect for Scottish football.
“I think what he’s done this year is absolutely amazing. When you see what he’s doing at European level, certainly this year, in the group stage against Benfica, who he drew twice with, topping their group, knocking out Royal Antwerp, and now getting a Slavia Prague side that beat Leicester, you can get some form review when you’re up against teams across Europe. They’re really doing well.”
McManaman revealed that he had contacted Gerrard to offer his congratulations after Rangers had been confirmed as champions on Sunday – and had been in touch with his predecessor Ally McCoist as well.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to bits for him,” he said. “I rang him on Sunday and I’m so happy for him because his assistant Gary McAllister along with Michael Beale, Tom Culshaw and all the lads who went up to Glasgow with him are individuals I know very well from Liverpool’s academy where I was helping out, as I still do now.
“I spoke to Alex Inglethorpe, Liverpool’s academy director on Sunday as well and everyone there is thrilled for them too. They’re all great lads and everyone wanted to see them achieve. Steven must be very proud.
“I spoke to Ally McCoist too and you can just feel what it means to everyone connected with Rangers just by the emotion shared and I’m just made up for Steven, I really am.”
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