Former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has explained the club's role in establishing his coaching career and says it was 'their idea' to sit him down and look at his next steps.
The 41-year-old called time on his Anfield career in 2015 and spent two further years in the MLS with LA Galaxy. Following his retirement in 2017, Gerrard returned to Merseyside and took up a coaching role in Liverpool's academy.
However, the ex-England international admitted it wasn't always clear he would become a manager and it wasn't until his late twenties he considered his options.
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He told Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport : “It wasn’t really something that came into my thinking until my late twenties, early thirties when you start thinking ‘Should I start doing my coaching badges?' As I came out of the game, in terms of in England and went to LA, it gave me a period of time to reflect and decide what I wanted to do next.
“I went into a bit of punditry and carried on doing my coaching badges, it was actually Liverpool’s idea to sit down me down and say ‘Go on then, what’s next?’. It really excited me the opportunity and when I started it, I really enjoyed it."
Gerrard later left his job with the under-18s in 2018 and spent three-and-a-half years in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers. After guiding them to their first league title in 10 years, his success north of the border didn't go unnoticed.
Earlier this season he was identified by Aston Villa as the ideal replacement for Dean Smith. He took the role with the Midlands club back in November and has so far won eight of a possible 17 league games.
