Klopp drops hint over potential Liverpool return for Gerrard

Reuters: Manager JuergenKlopp has refused to rule out the possibility of former Liverpool captain and fan favourite Steven Gerrard returning to the club in a coaching capacity following the midfielder’s retirement on Thursday.

The 36-year-old Gerrard is Liverpool’s longest-serving captain and won the Champions League and two FA Cup titles, the League Cup on three occasions and the UEFA Cup once during his 18-year association with the Merseyside club.

“Stop being so excited about his (Gerrard’s) next step. In life you need space to learn something new,” Klopp told reporters on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s home game against second from bottom Sunderland.

“The door is always open. If he wants, I’m sure he will, and if he wants to make career (in coaching) then we want to help him.

“This is not the room to speak about this. When something is to announce, we will announce. One day in the future there will be something to announce, I’m pretty sure.”

Gerrard recently said that he rejected the opportunity to replace manager Karl Robinson at third-tier side Milton Keynes Dons.

Klopp was not too keen to talk too much about a player he never managed but suggested a return was likely in the future.

“Stop using me to write something about Steven Gerrard, if you want to write something, write it. I like him, and if I can help him I will,” the German added.

Liverpool are looking for a first league crown since 1990 and are well placed to launch a serious bid for the title as they sit second in the standings on 27 points from 12 games, a point behind Chelsea, who replaced them at the top last weekend.

With a hectic festive schedule on the horizon for Liverpool, Klopp said hoped his players are prepared to brace the fixture pile-up.

“We had a few players who couldn’t train properly this week, so you always have some problems,” he said.

“We had no time to waste in the first few weeks of the season, now it’s becoming more and more intense. But that’s the situation and I don’t think too much about it.”

Former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard

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​Factbox on former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard, who announced his retirement, aged 36, on Thursday.

Born: May 30, 1980 in Whiston, England.

Club career

• After coming through Liverpool’s youth academy, Gerrard made his first-team debut as an 18-year-old against Blackburn Rovers in November 1998.
• He scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool on Dec. 5, 1999 against Sheffield Wednesday at Anfield.
•  Gerrard replaced defender Sami Hyypia as Liverpool captain in October 2003.
• He led the club to a famous Champions League final victory over Italian side AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005, which saw him win the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and the Ballon d’Or Bronze Award.
• Gerrard scored 23 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool in the 2005-06 campaign and ended the season being named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
• He also helped Liverpool win the FA Cup twice (2001, 2006), the League Cup on three occasions (2001, 2003, 2012) and the UEFA Cup once (2001) during an 18-year association with the Merseyside club.
• Gerrard played his last game for Liverpool in the 6-1 Premier League defeat by Stoke City on May 24, 2015.
• He finished as Liverpool’s longest-ever serving captain and made 710 appearances for the club, third on the all-time list, before he joined MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy.
• Gerrard made his debut for the LA Galaxy in a mid-season friendly match against Club America on July 11, 2015.
• Gerrard scored five goals in 34 appearances for LA Galaxy before playing his final game for the club on Nov. 6, 2016, in a MLS Cup Playoff penalty-shootout loss to Colorado Rapids.
• England:
• Made his England debut in the 2-0 friendly win over Ukraine on 31 May 2000.
• Gerrard scored his first international goal in the 5–1 victory over Germany in a 2002 World Cup qualifier in September 2001.
• Gerrard captained England for the first time in their 2-1 loss to Russia in a 2008 Euro qualifier match.
• He announced his retirement from the international game on July 21, 2014.
• Gerrard won 114 caps for England, featured in six major tournaments and is his country’s fourth most capped player of all time behind Peter Shilton, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham.