Liverpool haven’t had many better players over the years than iconic former captain Steven Gerrard.
With the Jurgen Klopp era set to come to a close on Sunday, it’s only natural to have a look back through some of the incredible players to have marked the period.
But although the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are bona fide greats, they still can’t touch Gerrard’s legacy.
The 43-year-old may not be having the best of times as a manager, but as a player, he’ll always be remembered as one of Liverpool’s very best. An all-time legend beyond reproach.
So, when a player is bestowed with a likeness to Stevie G, it’s the ultimate compliment in the eyes of Liverpool supporters. Joe Cole rather debatably likened Arsenal’s Declan Rice to Gerrard recently, and now another of Rice’s England teammates had been given the same honour.
Jude Bellingham given Steven Gerrard comparison
It kind of goes without saying that Liverpool are still yet to replace Gerrard on the pitch. He’s the type of player who only comes around once in a generation or more.
And yet, according to Cole and now Gareth Southgate, there are a couple of dead-ringers out there who were on the market last summer. Liverpool didn’t get either.
Rice of course moved from West Ham to Arsenal and has since been proclaimed as a player who could have delivered the title for Liverpool.
Jude Bellingham meanwhile was the apple of Jurgen Klopp’s eye before he opted to join Real Madrid for £88m instead of move to Anfield.
Since heading to Spain, Bellingham has been brilliant. And speaking to French outlet L’Equipe about his England charge, Southgate has likened the 20-year-old’s game-changing ability to Liverpool’s former captain fantastic.
“Jude reminds me of Steven Gerrard,” says the England boss. “Even when the opponents give the feeling to take control of the game, those are players that can turn it on its head. Through their mentality, they influence their teammates.”
Will Steven Gerrard ever return to Liverpool
With Klopp leaving on Sunday, his departure has evoked memories of Gerrard’s own exit nine years ago.
It will always hurt a little that Klopp and Gerrard missed each other by a matter of months. Surely Stevie would have hung on for a year or two had he known Jurgen was coming. Anyway, what’s done is done and Gerrard left in 2015.
Since then, the academy graduate has often been linked with a return to the club as a manager. He did of course come back to take charge of the U18s but moved on to Rangers, Aston Villa and now Al Ettifaq.
As Klopp is on his way out, there were some who pushed for Gerrard to be in the picture this summer. But the truth is that he now couldn’t be further away from taking on his old club.
Unless something drastic happens to Gerrard’s fortunes as a head coach, that’s likely to be the way it remains. If he does come back – and we’d love to see it happen – it will more than likely be in an advisory or symbolic role.
Maybe one day we’ll find that long awaited heir.
