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Gerrard tipped to return as Liverpool manager

Steven Gerrard has been influential in supporting the likes of Raheem Sterling at Liverpool © Getty Images

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Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier and defender Jamie Carragher have backed Steven Gerrard to return to Anfield as a coach in the future after the midfielder confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the season.

Gerrard, 34, will bring down the curtain on his career as a Liverpool first-team player in May, with the manager who gave him his first-team debut back in 1998 convinced his association with Anfield will not end when he kicks his last ball for the club.

"I wouldn't be surprised if one day we see him becoming the boss at Anfield," Houllier told Sky Sports. "He has always thought about the team. He likes to think [of the] team first and I wouldn't be surprised if one day he becomes a very successful manager.

"Times have changed. You need to qualify and have a badge to be a coach now. Maybe Stevie is doing it right. Have a break from Liverpool, do his qualifications to become a manager and then see where it takes him."

Carragher suggested Gerrard has no divine right to become Liverpool manager, but he said he would be delighted to see his old friend return to the club one day.

"He has got the name and the profile, but what you have done as a player does not automatically mean you should become a manager at that club," Carragher said in an interview with Sky Sports. "You have to show that you've got that ability and there are plenty of great players who struggle as a manager.

"If Steven Gerrard is up to the job, of course you'd like to see him in that dug-out because of what he represents to the football club. Every Liverpool supporter would love to see that one day. I'm sure it's a route Steven could go down."

Carragher also suggested Liverpool should have done more to keep Gerrard at the club, and said his presence could have been useful on the coaching staff.

"I don't think this news is a big shock or surprise," he said. "He's had a decision to make over the last few months and I think along with every Liverpool supporter, I'm sad that it has come to this. It happens to all the great players and this is the day it has been announced.

"I can understand from a personal point of view why he wants a clean break. He's had a lot on his shoulders over the last 10 or 12 years being an iconic figure. He is the one everyone thinks of when you think of Liverpool over the last decade.

"I just wonder could the club have done a little bit more, give him a coaching role to entice him to stay. No one should have a job for life, but to lose that experience is a shame for the academy and the kids coming through at Liverpool. I'd like to have seen him stay in some capacity."

Houllier handed Gerrard his Liverpool debut in a right-back role in November 1998, and paid this tribute to the soon-to-be former captain.

"He has been a great character, he's had to overcome injuries and he was an outstanding player for Liverpool in terms of technique, speed and power," added Houllier. "He combined the three so well and he had a great eye for a final pass.

"We should also remember he is a great leader for the club. He is someone who inspired and someone you want to follow and no one will forget the Champions League final in 2005.

"I played him at right-back in the beginning and then he moved into the middle. He understood that he had to live for his job and he devoted his time, energy and diet to the job. He became world class because he made a lot of sacrifices and worked very hard.

"Liverpool will miss him not only because he is a leader, but because of the camaraderie he brings. He likes a joke and to have some fun. He is a great player to train with."

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