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Liverpool appoint club legend as next Under-18 manager

Liverpool have unveiled a new manager for their Under-18 side. Club's icon Steven Gerrard will take charge as the coach.

London, April 28: Liverpool Football Club have made an announcement on Thursday (April 27) that will make each and every Liverpool fan around the world go to cloud nine for sure.

Football leagues special site

The Merseyside giants have announced that club legend and former skipper Steven Gerrard will take over as the manager of the club's Under-18 setup ahead of the 2017-18 season.

A file picture of Steven Gerrard


Gerrard, who hung up his boots a few months back, joined the club's backroom staff in January, 2017 and now the club think that he is ready for the big challenge that is to emulate his legend in the managerial world.

Gerrard, a Liverpool supporter born and bred, had many beautiful memories as a player and the captain of the iconic football club and the fans will hope that he does well as the manager of the club's youngsters.

Gerrard will replace Neil Critchley, who will take charge of the Under-23s. Current U-23s boss Mike Garrity will become part of Critchley's backroom team for the new campaign.

The 36-year-old stated: "I have really enjoyed my time at the Academy so far and feel I have learnt a lot from the coaching staff here already. After speaking to Alex (Inglethorpe), we feel as though it is time for me to step up and manage my own team.

"Neil has done a fantastic job with the U-18s, so I hope I can continue where he left off, encouraging and nurturing players into the U-23s and eventually the first-team setup."

Gerrard also came out with a possible reason why the youngsters from England are struggling to make it big as a professional and he blames that "show-boating mentality" for that. The Liverpool great hopes to curb such things when he takes the hot-seat.

"A lot of kids think they have to do 10 lollipops or Cruyff turns to stand out. We all love a bit of skill and talent but the other side of the game is huge, it is massive" he added.

Copying Ronaldo

Gerrard, who has represented Liverpool 710 times throughout his illustrious career, stated that he likes streetwise players but says "too many try to model themselves on players like (Cristiano) Ronaldo."

The former English captain plans to help the "soft" youth players transition from the "comfort zone" of an academy to the professional ranks.

Academy is the grassroot level from where the young players can learn. We have seen many players with huge potential struggling to make a mark later in their career and Gerrard's experience as one of the top players from his generation can possibly change the scenario. At least, the fans who have backed their icon for years, will hope so.

OneIndia News

Story first published: Thursday, August 3, 2017, 8:06 [IST]
Other articles published on Aug 3, 2017