Jamie Carragher has advised Steven Gerrard not to return to Liverpool in the future on loan, whilst Jamie Redknapp doesn’t believe he should manage the club.
Gerrard made his final appearance at Anfield on Saturday against Crystal Palace, on what was one of the most emotional occasions the famous old stadium has witnessed. Unfortunately for the man of the moment and the vast majority of the watching spectators, the visitors arrived in a mood to spoil the party and left Merseyside on the back of an impressive 3-1 win.
But not even this diverted the attention from Gerrard, who has been associated with the Reds for 28 years and has racked up a total of 706 appearances for his boyhood club. The 34-year-old will next head off to the MLS and LA Galaxy, and although there has already been speculation of him returning to Liverpool on loan, his big pal Carragher has advised him against it.
“I hope he doesn’t come back on loan,” the former defender, who himself bowed out a hero of the club two years ago after making 737 outings, told Sky Sports. “Make a clean break from the football side of it, go away for a couple of years, get out of that Liverpool bubble. It will be good mentally to move away, and then come back in some role, but not in a playing capacity.”
There is also a notion that Gerrard will one day return to Anfield to become manager, although Brendan Rodgers will be hoping such a possibility doesn’t arise for some time yet. But former Liverpool midfielder Redknapp isn’t sure this would be a good idea, as he fears the former England international captain would be placing his status as legend as a risk by doing so.
“I hope he doesn’t come back as manager here,” Redknapp, who played for the Reds from 1991 to 2002, said. “He is a hero. If he comes back and gets sacked his legacy will be ruined. People like Gerrard come along every two generations. They are gifted players. As soon as you see him play you know it. He is one of those sort of guys that has time for everyone. What you see is what you get.”
Surely there will always be a place at Liverpool for Steven Gerrard, but if he does make a return to Anfield, in what capacity should he be employed?
