Rio Ferdinand has revealed he told Steven Gerrard to expect a phone call from Liverpool about replacing Arne Slot on an interim basis
Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard on the grid with the Alpine F1 team prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit
Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard on the grid with the Alpine F1 team prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit
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Rio Ferdinand has admitted he expected Liverpool to turn to Steven Gerrard as interim manager and even told the Reds legend to anticipate a call from his former club as the pressure mounted on head coach Arne Slot. The reigning Premier League champions returned to winning ways on Sunday as they won 2-0 at West Ham United.
The victory saw them move up to eighth in the Premier League table and narrow the gap on the top four to just three points. However, before the trip to the capital, Liverpool had lost nine of their previous 12 matches.
Such a run included successive heavy defeats to Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven, as the Reds shipped 10 goals across the three matches.
Meanwhile, supporters briefly booed following the final whistle after Liverpool’s 4-1 loss to the Eredivisie outfit.
Slot’s position has inevitably been the subject of increased scrutiny outside of Anfield as a result of the Reds’ recent poor form.
But while he eased some of that pressure by beating West Ham on Sunday, Ferdinand has admitted he could still see Gerrard replace the Dutchman on a temporary basis if Liverpool opted to part ways with Slot.
“I was in Qatar over the last few days with Steven Gerrard,” the Manchester United legend said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, having attended the Qatar GP over the weekend with his former England team-mate. “I was saying to him over some food the other day, ‘Listen, you need to sharpen your tools mate. Sharpen your tools, get them ready, because you could be going back in as interim boss’.
“There are so many games coming up that I was thinking I don’t see Slot getting through all of them in good enough condition, and I think the pressure from the terraces and the fan base might get too much and they might make a decision.
“In that climate, with someone like Steven Gerrard sitting there, a legend of the club – forget his tenures at different clubs.
“There’s a legend of the football club ready to come in and just steady the ship for them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Steven Gerrard had gotten a call.”
Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement from management in 2013, Manchester United have turned to former players Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy - as well as Ralf Rangnick - as caretaker bosses following the unsuccessful end of a number of reigns.
With Solskjaer also doing enough to get the job permanently, the Red Devils are now onto their tenth different manager - including interims - since Ferguson’s departure 12 years ago.
In contrast, the combined tenure of Liverpool’s last 10 managers - including temporary bosses - goes back to Graeme Souness’ appointment in 1991 and pre-dates the entire Premier League era.
The Reds have also only ever turned to a temporary manager on four occasions in their entire 133-year history.
Ronnie Moran stepped into the role following the sudden resignation of Kenny Dalglish in February 1991, with the Scot then appointed on an initial caretaker basis in January 2011 after Fenway Sports Group parted company with Roy Hodgson.
Meanwhile, Moran again took charge of the side towards the end of the 1991/92 season after Souness underwent heart surgery, while Phil Thompson would serve as caretaker manager for four months during the 2001/02 season after Gerard Houllier suffered a heart attack.
But while Ferdinand might have told Gerrard he could become Liverpool’s next manager, albeit only temporarily, fellow Reds legend Jamie Carragher thinks somewhat differently as he dismissed the idea of his former team-mate taking over.
“The idea of Liverpool changing the manager who won the league, Liverpool have never done that,” he said in the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet. “Then, who do you get? The idea of an interim manager just feels like, who and how?
“No, I wouldn’t imagine (rumours of Liverpool turning to Gerrard are true). He’s been a manager at Villa and had great success at Rangers as well.
“He’s a legendary figure and he’s back, floating down Liverpool. I don’t think most Liverpool fans will be screaming for Steven Gerrard – everyone is desperate for it to work for Arne Slot.
“They’re on such a bad run, the flipside of that is then how long does it carry on?”
Admittedly, it should be no surprise that Carragher is much more in tune with his former club and its history than Ferdinand.
But given the contrasting success and approach to managerial appointments at Liverpool and Man United over the past 12 years, it does tell its own story that Carragher and Ferdinand's own opinions are very much in line with how recent history has unfolded at their respective former clubs.