Danny Murphy believes either Steven Gerrard or Xabi Alonso could manage Liverpool in the future.
The former Reds pair, who are both plying their trade in management currently, have been tipped for successful careers after hanging up their boots. And much like Frank Lampard at Chelsea and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal - to varying degrees of success - both have been tipped for a romantic return to the Anfield dugout.
Gerrard retired in 2016 and spent some time within Liverpool's youth setup before moving on to his first managerial stint at Rangers in 2018, where he led the Scottish giants to an unbeaten 2020/2021 campaign and a first Scottish Premier League title in 10 years. His return to the Premier League with Aston Villa has been much tougher, with the 42-year-old under increasing pressure in the Midlands for not getting the best out of a highly-talented and expensive side - they are 16th with two wins from nine games.
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Former Liverpool midfielder partner Alonso's coaching career has been much shorter, but by no means less successful. The Spaniard hung his boots up in 2019 and moved into Real Madrid's academy system before a three-year stint at Real Sociedad B in which he took the Basque side into the Spanish second division for the first time in 60 years before leaving this summer. At the start of October, he was appointed as Bayer Leverkusen manager, following in the footsteps of another ex-Red - Sami Hyypia.
“I think Steven Gerrard or Xabi Alonso could manage Liverpool, absolutely, yeah," Murphy told Fair Betting Sites. “I don’t think either of them have probably done just enough yet to warrant that. I don’t think there’s a Liverpool fan on the planet, irrelevant of the start of the season, that would be even thinking about a possible change with Klopp. I don’t see that at all.
“I think it’s a big couple of seasons for Stevie at Villa to show his credentials, implement his style. It’s been a little bit up and down for him at Villa. He’d probably be the first to say that, so we’ll have to wait and see.
“I think Alonso’s more in the infancy of his managerial career. So, you know, that’s a hard one to anticipate. I know he had a good first win, but in terms of their stature amongst Liverpool supporters and the legacy they’ve left, it would be silly not to think that one of them could be in the dugout at Anfield one day.”
Neither appointment is likely to come anytime soon, not least because no one around the Red half of Merseyside wants to see Jurgen Klopp sacked. And Murphy has echoed the mood around the club that, despite their worst start to a league campaign in 10 years, Klopp and his side can turn things around.
“Liverpool will finish 4th I think," Murphy added. "On Klopp, he can’t change his philosophy and his way of managing that’s given so much success overnight. For me, it’s just about being on top of players, reinforcing the messages and making sure they’re training at a high level because performances don’t improve unless your training is at it.
"There’s a lot of honest players in that squad to look at themselves, and I’m concerned, but I’m not worried. The cream always rises to the top."
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