Gerrard Flattered By Klopp’s 'Next Of Kin' Comments
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard says he was flattered to hear 2019 FIFA Men’s Coach of the year, Jurgen Klopp, endorse him as his successor as Liverpool manager.
Klopp made the comments recently in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, tipping the former Liverpool skipper to succeed him when he leaves the club.
"If Liverpool were to sack me tomorrow, then maybe Kenny [Dalglish] would be the first choice to replace me, but they would probably bring Stevie down from Glasgow," the former Borussia Dortmund manager told FourFourTwo.
"If you ask who should follow me, I'd say Stevie. I help him whenever I can.
Gerrard’s allegiance to Liverpool means it is only a matter of time before he takes the reigns at Anfield, but the former England captain is impressed by Klopp’s impact at the European champions and wants him to remain a while longer.
"I was surprised and flattered at the same time," said Gerrard when asked about Klopp’s comments.
"But when you read the quote really carefully, like I have, it said, 'if I get sacked tomorrow' he thinks Steven Gerrard should be the next Liverpool manager.
"Jurgen Klopp's not getting sacked tomorrow. I don't want him to get sacked tomorrow. He's doing a fantastic job.
"I'm a Liverpool fan, and I'm sure every Liverpool fan on the planet endorses what I'm saying here, we want him to stay for many many years and bring as much success to our club as possible, but it was very flattering at the same time."
The four-year contract Steven Gerrard signed when he took over at Ibrox in the summer of 2018 does not expire until 2022, the same year Klopp’s deal at Liverpool runs out.
