Gerrard: Liverpool Career Ended “A Year Too Soon”

The former Liverpool captain has some regrets about when it all ended.

More than a few eyebrows were raised when Rangers announced that former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard would be taking the reins for the Scottish Premier League club, but the initial buzz had subsided and the new manager now has to focus on getting his squad ready for the coming season.

While the World Cup has been rumbling on, Gerrard has been busy identifying reinforcements. The most recent move has been the controversial addition of former Liverpool teammate Jon Flanagan, who was last in the news in connection with receiving a 12-month community order after admitting assaulting his girlfriend.

Speaking to the Daily Record, Gerrard acknowledged that he had received a tremendous opportunity with the Rangers appointment, especially with his limited managerial experience. While eager to prove himself, the former Liverpool midfielder also expressed some regret about the timing of his departure from Merseyside.

“I should have maybe played on for one more year,” he said. “I regret not doing the extra year just because I miss playing. So much.”

“But emotionally it was tough,” he added. “When you love your job and you work so hard to achieve your dream job to play for your boyhood team but you know that’s coming to an end. If you’ve had enough then it’s probably not tough. But I felt, certainly, that my Liverpool days came to an end probably a year too soon.”

The decision to leave came in the summer of 2015 after then-manager Brendan Rodgers made it apparent that Gerrard’s minutes would be tougher to come by. The midfielder then notably went on to a brief MLS career with the L.A. Galaxy before hanging up the boots for good and building on his coaching experience with the Liverpool Academy.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com