Steven Gerrard reveals what Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson told him to do after Aston Villa sacking
Steven Gerrard recently shared what legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told him after his sacking from Aston Villa. The Scotsman asked the Liverpool legend to take his time before moving to another job.
Gerrard started his managerial career with Liverpool's youth sides before joining Rangers, where he won the league title. He then joined Aston Villa in 2021 but was sacked after just 12 months due to poor results. He won just 13 out of 40 games in charge, drawing eight and losing 19.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Gerrard said that he was disappointed with the sacking but takes the responsibility for it. He said (via Sport Bible):
"It was tough. It hurt. I felt it. But what people need to understand is if I didn’t feel that, if I didn’t take that personally, if I didn’t take full responsibility for that, then I am not Steven Gerrard anymore because when it’s football and it’s professional and it’s something that I love I will always own it.
"I am not one of those people who looks to blame, who looks to point fingers. It’s not my style and that’s the reason why I needed a period of time to process that hard toughness."
The Liverpool legend also revealed that he spoke to legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson:
"It knocked my confidence a little bit. It does. I spoke to a lot of managers around it. I went to see Alex Ferguson for a couple of hours and he said ‘take your time, don’t jump into anything. Take your time and process it, analyse it’.
"And that is what I have done. But it has not affected my ambition. I didn’t have any targets when I set out on this different journey. I didn’t have a plan to go to Glasgow Rangers."
He added:
"I didn’t have a plan to go to the Premier League after three and a half years. I didn’t have Aston Villa on my resume. I am going along trying to be the best version of myself and have a career in coaching because I am passionate about it."
Having left Villa in October 2022, Gerrard then joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in July 2023.
Steven Gerrard on Saudi Pro League's growth in recent years
The Saudi Pro League has grown immensely in recent years. Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr in January 2023 was followed by many top players moving to the league like Karim Benzema, Neymar, N'Golo Kante, and more.
Gerrard also joined Al-Ettifaq as manager in 2023. In an interview with The Telegraph, he opened up about the Saudi Pro League's growth and his desire to be a part of it, saying:
"I knew they were going to be extremely ambitious. A lot of big-name footballers were coming to the league. There is the ambition to get there fast. The change in this league from 12 months ago, I have felt it. It has improved immensely. If that continues then I believe this will get closer to the top and I want to be part of that."
Gerrard led Al-Ettifaq to a sixth-placed finish in the league in the 2023-24 season, a massive 48 points behind leaders Al-Hilal. He signed a new contract with the club earlier this year which runs until 2027.