View 3 ImagesSteven Gerrard has received different opinions on whether he’s the right man for Liverpool – if they decided to get rid of Arne Slot(Image: PA)
Steven Gerrard has been told the Liverpool job is not the right choice for him – but he did receive a glowing commendation from a former rival. The reigning Premier League champions have endured a horror defence of their triumph, having lost six of their last eight league games.
While they did get back to winning ways last Sunday with a 2-0 win over West Ham, Arne Slot‘s side are not out of the woods yet with pressure remaining firmly on the Dutchman’s position.
Confidence in Slot reached an all-time low after Liverpool’s 4-1 home defeat to PSV in the Champions League as fans were heard booing the team at full-time of the European clash last week.
Amid Liverpool’s grim run of results, speculation surrounding a potential replacement for Slot has been strife. Gerrard was mentioned as one of the possible candidates to take the top job at the club he spent the majority of his career at.
While a return to his former stomping ground would be a tremendous story for a player who came up through the system and ended being one of the club’s greatest ever players, it would be an ill-advised choice, according to former team-mate Jamie Carragher.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, the Reds legend was asked whether rumours of Gerrard taking over at Anfield was true, to which he replied: “No, I wouldn’t imagine. He’s been a manager at Villa and had great success at Rangers as well.
“He’s a legendary figure and he’s back, floating down Liverpool. I don’t think most Liverpoolfans will be screaming for Steven Gerrard – everyone is desperate for it to work for Arne Slot. They’re on such a bad run, the flipside of that is then how long does it carry on?”
View 3 ImagesArne Slot has been under pressure at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Carragher was backed up by another ex-colleague in Emile Heskey who recently insisted that Gerrard needs more managerial experience before taking on a job of Liverpool’s magnitude. Speaking via BetBrain, the former England striker said: “He needs more experience.
“He definitely needs more experience because you’re going into the biggest job, or one of the biggest jobs in the world, the scrutiny of everything you do or say or what the players do comes back on you.
“He’ll need a lot more experience to jump into that hot seat to be honest. He’ll get linked to jobs, he’ll get asked to come in and interview for jobs, it’s up to him what he actually wants to do.”
Despite the opinions of Carragher and Heskey, it was Rio Ferdinand who told Gerrard himself to be prepared for a call from Liverpool should their poor form continue. The Manchester United legend, who had many battles with Gerrard and the Merseyside giants, said pressure from the fans could result in the former Reds skipper being appointed as Slot’s replacement.
“I was in Qatar over the last few days with Steven Gerrard,” Ferdinand said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, after attending the Qatar Grand Prix with his ex-England team-mate. “I was saying to him over some food the other day, ‘Listen, you need to sharpen your tools mate.
View 3 ImagesRio Ferdinand admitted he told Steven Gerrard to get ready for a potential call from Liverpool(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
“Sharpen your tools, get them ready, because you could be going back in as interim boss’. There are so many games coming up that I was thinking I don’t see Slot getting through all of them in good enough condition, and I think the pressure from the terraces and the fan base might get too much and they might make a decision.
“In that climate, with someone like Steven Gerrard sitting there, a legend of the club – forget his tenures at different clubs. There’s a legend of the football club ready to come in and just steady the ship for them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Steven Gerrard had gotten a call.”