Steven Gerrard has made no secret of his goal manage Liverpool in the future. A club legend as a player, the 41-year-old is still young in managerial terms and he has time to make his dream become a reality.
The Aston Villa boss was asked about Jurgen Klopp's contract extension on Friday afternoon, and he didn't hesitate to praise the German. "It will be Liverpool's most important signing for many years to come," he said.
Klopp's tenure at Anfield is now scheduled to stretch until 2026, which looks set to delay any possible return to Merseyside for Gerrard with many tipping him as a possible heir to the throne. However, Klopp's comments offer hope that it could eventually happen.
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The Reds boss made a number of statements after signing on the dotted line, but he directed many of his words in the direction of Pep Lijnders, his trusted assistant.
The Dutchman has been at the club since 2014, excluding his temporary departure in 2018 when he took charge of NEC Nijmegen for half a season. He has effectively replaced Zeljko Buvac as Klopp's second in command.
"[Lijnders] is probably the main reason for [the extension] because he is a real energiser," Klopp said after committing his future. "This man is on fire and our connection is beyond football. When he said, 'I am in!' then it was clear that we are open."
Over the years, Lijnders' influence on the team has grown. He initially arrived as a U16s coach before being promoted to occupy the newly-created position of first-team development coach.
Brendan Rodgers initially recognised his qualities and since Klopp moved to Merseyside, his voice has been harnessed even more. The 39-year-old takes responsibility over the large majority of Liverpool's training sessions. He is an expert coach behind the scenes.
The prominence of Lijnders has allowed Klopp to operate as more of a governing figure on the training ground. He is the club's leader who makes key decisions in the spotlight, but he allows his colleagues to showcase what they are good at.
Klopp has surrounded himself with experts since his appointment, they are vital to his success according to his perspective. "Have strong people around you with a better knowledge in different departments than yourself, don't act like you know everything," he once said.
Gerrard has worked in a similar way since stepping into the managerial world. He has been an authoritative figure at Rangers and Aston Villa, but while allowing Michael Beale in particular - who he took from Liverpool - to deliver much of the coaching on the training ground.
The ex-Liverpool captain has admitted that his area of expertise is not coaching, and he has allowed those around him with the relevant qualities and experience to turn his footballing vision into a reality.
“It would take me 15/20 years to become as good as Michael Beale as an on-pitch coach," he said, "so I let Mick be Mick Beale because he’s the expert."
When Klopp does eventually depart in the future, it is reasonable to suggest that Lijnders will remain on Merseyside considering his relatively youthful age. If he wants to continue as Liverpool's chief coach, he could do exactly that with Gerrard replacing Klopp as the club's poster boy of sorts.
FSG will surely want to avoid disrupting the infrastructure that has been formed around Klopp once he leaves and by adding a presence like Gerrard in his place, it would permit the club to almost keep everything else untouched.
Although he might have to wait a little longer before returning to his boyhood club, he could still end up in the hot seat in the future and Klopp's comments about Lijnders prove it.
