Rio Ferdinand tells Steven Gerrard to be prepared for a call from Liverpool about becoming interim manager
Rio Ferdinand has revealed he has told Steven Gerrard to prepare to return to Liverpool as caretaker manager as pressure mounts on Reds head coach Arne Slott.
The reigning Premier League champions returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win against West Ham United on Sunday. With this victory, they moved up to 8th place in the Premier League standings, and the gap between them and the top four has narrowed to 3 points. However, before the trip to London, Liverpool had lost nine of their last 12 games.
This dismal losing streak included heavy defeats against Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, with the Reds conceding a whopping 10 goals in three games.
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The Liverpool Echo reports that after the final whistle, which saw Liverpool lose 4-1 in the Eredivisie, fans could be heard booing even louder.
As a result of Liverpool’s recent downturn, Slott’s position has understandably come under scrutiny outside of Anfield.
But while the win over West Ham took some of the pressure off, Ferdinand admitted he could still imagine Gerrard taking over as caretaker manager if Liverpool decide to sever ties with Slott.
“I’ve been in Qatar with Steven Gerrard for the last few days,” the Manchester United icon revealed on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast after watching the Qatar Grand Prix with his former England colleagues.
“The other day, I said to him over dinner, ‘Listen, you need to sharpen your tools. Sharpen your tools and get ready, because you might be coming back as interim boss.’
“With so many games coming up, I thought Slott might not be able to get through all the games in good enough condition. I think there might be too much pressure from the terraces and the fan base that they might make a decision.
“In a situation like that, when you have someone like Steven Gerrard sitting there who is a club legend, you forget about his tenure at different clubs.
“We have a football club legend ready to come in and steady the ship for them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Steven Gerrard had been contacted.”
Since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager in 2013, Manchester United have repeatedly considered club legends Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy, along with Ralf Rangnick, to take over as interim manager should previous appointments stall.
Including the caretaker, the Old Trafford outfit will now have their 10th different manager since Ferguson ended his illustrious career more than a decade ago, with Solskjaer impressing enough to secure the role permanently.
By comparison, Liverpool’s last 10 managers, including interim managers, predate the entire Premier League era, dating back to Graeme Souness’ appointment in 1991.
The Merseyside club have relied on caretaker managers just four times in their 133-year existence.
Ronnie Moran took over following the unexpected departure of Kenny Dalglish in February 1991, with the Scot returning on an interim basis in January 2011 after Fenway Sports Group sacked Roy Hodgson.
Moran took over at the end of the 1991/92 season when Souness underwent heart surgery, and Phil Thompson was interim manager for four months in 2001/02 after Gerard Houllier suffered a heart attack.
But while Ferdinand may have hinted that Gerrard could become Liverpool’s next manager, even temporarily, Anfield legend Jamie Carragher has poured cold water on the prospect of his former colleague taking over.
“The idea of Liverpool changing a manager who won the league, Liverpool have never done that,” he said in the latest episode of Sky Bet’s Overlap Fan Debate. “So who are we going to appoint?The idea of an interim manager is like, who is going to take over and how?
“No, I don’t imagine (the rumors about Liverpool turning to Gerrard are true). He was a manager at Villa and had great success at Rangers.
“He’s a legendary figure and he came floating back to Liverpool. I don’t think most Liverpool fans would be crying out for Steven Gerrard. Everyone is desperate for things to work for Arne Slott.
“They are in a very bad situation, but if we turn it around, how long will it last?”
Indeed, it is no surprise that Carragher is far more in tune with his former club and its traditions than Ferdinand.
However, given the contrasting fortunes and philosophies towards managerial appointments at Liverpool and Man United over the past 12 years, it can be seen that Carragher and Ferdinand’s respective views reflect how recent history has unfolded at their former clubs.
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