Steven Gerrard has revealed his plans to move into coaching, when he hangs out his boots this year.
The former England captain, left Liverpool in the summer of 2015 and is currently playing for LA Galaxy in the Major League Soccer. However, Gerrard is currently back at Anfield during the MLS close season, where is keeping fit with Jurgen Klopp’s team.
He told the Daily Telegraph: “I’m not 100% sure but I think it will probably be my last year as a player.
“I have had a chat with Klopp. I haven’t had an offer as such but the club have let me know they are keen for me to come back but there hasn’t been a conversation where they have said: ‘We want you to do this, we want you to do that.’
“They have welcomed me back . I am always going to be biased towards Liverpool and the FA and basically when I am back home I am going to carry on with my punditry work and try and move around clubs and gain more experience, going to watch managers and learning more. I am basically available from November, December 2016. Everyone in the football world will know I am available and hopefully I will be 75 per cent into my coaching badges.”
Gerrard also expressed his regret at not starting work on his badges earlier and advised the Football Association to put in more efforts, so most players can remain in the game.
“I have regrets I didn’t start my coaching badges at 21-22,” he said.
“All that time wasted in hotels as an England player when I’ve been bored and was watching The Office and The Sopranos. I wish I’d done my CBA [coaching] licence then, so I’d be doing my pro-licence now. I know many players get to the end of their careers, get handed a thick C licence pack and say, ‘Nah, I’m not doing that.’ That’s 70-80 caps and 600 career appearances and he is just going ‘Nah’. He could have had it done.
“I had a meeting with the FA and said these players that are earning a certain amount of caps – don’t let them go away from the game. Do more to keep them involved.”
