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Jurgen Klopp has said Steven Gerrard will “definitely” become Liverpool manager one day ahead of his return to Anfield on Saturday.
The Aston Villa boss returns to Merseyside for the first time since he left the club during his playing career in 2015.
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Following a successful spell at Rangers where he guided the club to their first league title in 10 years, Gerrard replaced Dean Smith at Villa Park last month and has won three of his first four matches.
When asked whether the former Liverpool captain would manage the club one day, Klopp told a news conference: “Oh yes I do, absolutely. The only thing is when is the right moment for that.
“I think that Stevie is doing really well and he’s very young from a manager’s point of view so it’s just when is the right moment for him to take the job. Yes, I believe it will definitely happen and good for everyone.”
After finishing his playing career at LA Galaxy, Gerrard returned to Anfield two years into Klopp’s tenure to coach the club’s under-18 side.
Speaking in his news conference on Friday, Gerrard said he would accept not being the most popular man at Anfield if Villa side were to win the match.
When asked what Gerrard must do to prove he can manage Liverpool in the future, Klopp said: “I’m not the right person to answer that because it’s not on me to make those types of decisions. I know people say you have to win things [to become Liverpool manager] but I’m not sure about that.
“You can win things in the past but never win something again. For each manager in the world, it’s really important that the club is stable and then if you have a good chance to improve things then that’s what you have to do.
“Everything that Stevie did so far looks like it’s going in the right direction. I can’t see a scenario where I will be involved in that decision but we will see. Who knows?”
Liverpool head into the match against Villa in second place and a point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.