Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said “world-class” Pep Guardiola would be a great addition to the Premier League after the much sought-after Bayern Munich manager said he wanted to coach in England.
Guardiola, who will turn 45 this month, said Tuesday that the reason he was leaving Bayern at the end of the season was because he wanted to coach in England.
“Pep Guardiola is a world-class manager,” Gerrard told reporters in Sydney ahead of a Liverpool Legends game on Thursday.
“It’s looking like he is going to be coming to the Premier League which is great for us.”
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Gerrard, clearly a fan of the ex-Barcelona coach, is currently reading “Pep Confidential”, a book about Guardiola’s first season at Bayern.
The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder, 35, has his own ambitions in management and is working on his coaching qualifications prior to his expected retirement from playing this year.
He said he had a “positive conversation” with current Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and was keen to remain involved with his hometown club in any capacity.
Gerrard left the English Premier League side for the Galaxy last year, and has been training on Merseyside during the MLS close season.
“I’ve been told I’ve been welcomed back at the club which is great for me because I’ve been at Liverpool since I was eight years of age. I love the club,” he said.
“I certainly had a positive conversation with Jurgen Klopp and he made me feel very welcome when I train with the team.”
But Gerrard said that he was aware of the challenges of transiting from playing to coaching.
“I think you see the reason why a lot of top players don’t make a successful manager because it’s a completely different role,” Gerrard said.
“The exciting thing is no one knows how good I’ll be ... we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m certainly going to get as much experience and as much qualifications as I can under me belt and we’ll see whether I’m good enough if one day I take the plunge.”
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