Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp once claimed that Steven Gerrard will "definitely" be in the Anfield hot seat one day, but that day seems further away than ever at the moment.
The former Reds midfielder was sacked from his post as Aston Villa manager less than 12 months after he took the reins at Villa Park. Gerrard leaves the Midlands-based club languishing as low as 17th in the Premier League table with just two wins from their last 10 contests.
The nail in the coffin proved to be Thursday night's 3-0 drubbing away at Fulham, with the Villa board wasting precious little time in announcing Gerrard's departure around 90 minutes after the full-time whistle had been blown at Craven Cottage.
Their short statement read: "Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect." A spokesperson for the club added: "We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future."
The last knockings of the game at Fulham certainly marked the lowest point of Gerrard's managerial career to date, with the travelling Villa faithful united in their chorus of, 'You're getting sacked in the morning' as well as plenty of jeers.
It certainly feels like Klopp's comments on Gerrard one day getting the Liverpool managerial job are particularly optimistic. The German explained: "I think it will definitely happen. And good for everybody! When is the right moment to take the job?
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"Not to say that he's not able to do it, but how long you want to do it. Is it the last job you do? The second job, third job you do?"
In light of his Villa sacking, Gerrard getting the Reds gig at any stage now appears unlikely. News of his departure came late on Thursday night, though the Liverpool legend was still forced to endure an awkward coach ride back to Birmingham with the rest of the team.
While the initial statement was notably brief, Villa's Chief executive Christian Purslow has offered some more clarity surrounding the decision to part ways with Gerrard on Friday morning.
"The board has come to this decision following a full evaluation of results and performances over the calendar year. We were clear when we appointed Steven that we set an objective of continuous improvement but that has not been achieved despite everybody's best efforts and we believe the time is right to make these changes now," he said.
"The process of appointing a new head coach is underway and we will update supporters as soon as possible."
With a win rate of 32 per cent during his 39 games in charge at Villa, Gerrard can have few complaints about the decision to part ways coming from those above him in the club hierarchy.
That is not the kind of form that Villa can be seen to accept, let alone a side the size and stature of Liverpool.
