Steven Gerrard retires from football

Former Liverpool player Phil Thompson has urged Steven Gerrard not to rush into first-team management after announcing his retirement from football.

Gerrard announced his retirement from professional football on Thursday after spending 18 of his best years with his boyhood club Liverpool and 18 months with MLS side LA Galaxy, and expressed his interest in becoming a manager.

Gerrard thanked the Liverpool Football Club and all fans. “How can I be the person who says how big this person [Gerrard] is?”

Yet, the 36-year-old’s loyalty to Liverpool, especially when coupled with England’s continued failings since 1966, has left a legacy of what could have been.

Discussing his heated battle with Gerrard over the years, Diouf told SFR Sport: “When I arrived, I showed him that he was nothing”.

Another former Barcelona player and ex-Arsenal captain Thierry Henry tweeted: “I’ve always said I would have loved to play with this man Steven Gerrard”.

“I’ve met a few, and I’ve met Stevie already and he is far away from wanting to be a legend”.

Asked whether his future lay in coaching or punditry, he added: “I think I’d like to do a bit of both”.

“He was hoping to be a player-coach somewhere, which would have given him some coaching experience as he’s not got any whatsoever”.

Gerrard will return to Anfield for a role on Liverpool’s academy coaching staff. If he wants to make a different career to his former career then we want to help him.

“He’ll go down as one of the great contributors to Liverpool’s success but I certainly wouldn’t put him alongside Souness who did actually control the middle of the field – he didn’t score as many goals – and Dalgish was everything”.

Gerrard nearly left Anfield for Chelsea that summer, before reconsidering and helping the Reds to win the 2006 FA Cup, beating West Ham on penalties.

He won 114 England caps, captaining his country at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. He spent the majority of his career playing for Premier League club Liverpool, with most of that time as their captain.