By Katie Catherall
Steven Gerrard has revealed that he visited legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson for advice after being sacked from Aston Villa.
The former Liverpool midfielder was axed from his position in October 2022, with Villa winning just two league games and slipping towards the relegation zone. His sacking made way for Unai Emery to join the team - an appointment that has since resulted in Champions League qualification.
Gerrard has admitted that losing his job was "tough", leaving him seeking the thoughts of others.
One man he reached for, was former rival boss Ferguson and, in an interview with the Telegraph, Gerrard has detailed the conversation and the advice he recieved.
He said: "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. 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. 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.
"[Being sacked by Villa] 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."
Gerrard was named Al Ettifaq boss in the summer of 2023 and guided the club to sixth place in the Saudi Pro League in his first season.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Steven Gerrard reveals seeking managerial advice from Sir Alex Ferguson.
