Former Liverpool star Vladimir Smicer believes Steven Gerrard has the potential to be a successful Liverpool manager.
Smicer's verdict comes as pressure is growing on current boss Arne Slot. The Reds have lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions to slip out of the Premier League title race and contention for a top-eight spot in the Champions League table.
Liverpool's most recent loss came at Anfield on Wednesday, as PSV Eindhoven romped to a 4-1 victory. The team's struggles under Slot have left fans questioning whether a change should be made, with Danny Murphy suggesting the Liverpool boss is "in trouble."
Smicer believes Gerrard could take the job one day, but he wants his former Liverpool teammate to take another job first.
"It's important that if you sign for a club, you need to know where you want to go and what the club's ambitions are," Smicer, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, told BOYLE Sports, who offer Premier League betting.
“It's not good to sign for a club that is financially struggling and has no future. Of course, Steven Gerrard has been a fantastic player, one of the best players I played with. But as a manager, as I said, he's still very young.
Gerrard remains a popular figure on Merseyside
Gerrard remains a popular figure on Merseyside (Image: Getty Images)
"His name is big in England, Europe, and world football. Stevie is fantastic.
"I know his mentality, he's a winner. He definitely wants to go to a club where he feels he has a chance to win games, be a strong team, and build something. So if they show him plans for the future and he feels it's achievable, it's interesting for him.
"But it must have a future, it must have ambition. People sometimes ask me if he can one day be the manager of Liverpool. And I'm saying yes, I think one day Stevie G can be a manager of Liverpool. He would be a very good manager of Liverpool in my opinion.
"But we'll see in the future. He needs to have some success with a team. Could it be Birmingham or Wrexham, maybe?
"But if he has success, why not Liverpool one day?"
Gerrard became a club legend at Anfield after helping Liverpool win countless trophies, including the Champions League in 2005. He played more than 100 times for England and is widely regarded as one of the Premier League's greatest ever midfielders.
While Gerrard enjoyed plenty of success on the field, his managerial career has been up and down. The 45-year-old started off strongly by guiding Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title in 2021 to halt Celtic's domination in the division.
Yet Gerrard struggled at Aston Villa, winning just 13 of his 40 games in charge before being fired. He then took charge of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq, achieving a modest win rate of 39 percent. He's been unattached since leaving Al-Ettifaq in January.