‘I will go back’ – Steven Gerrard gives update on return to management after Liverpool legend left Al-Ettifaq
STEVEN GERRARD has opened up about his managerial future after he left Al-Ettifaq.
The Liverpool legend stepped down as boss of the Saudi Arabian side in January after 18 months in charge.
Pressure was beginning to mount on him at the time of his departure as Al-Ettifaq were languishing just five points above the relegation zone.
Since leaving the club, Gerrard was linked with vacancies at Derby County and Blackburn in the Championship.
But the ex-Rangers and Aston Villa boss is happy to be away from the dugout, telling That Peter Crouch Podcast: “I don’t want to be back in work, not at the moment.
“I’ve just come out, so I am happy waking up, being free, doing the family stuff and being free from the stress.
“I will go back in at some point but when it is round the clock for 18 months, I just want to be free and do normal things that you can’t do when you are coaching like a game of golf or go down the boozer.
“I want to do normal things that you can’t really do when you’re coaching, so I am all good.
“I’m good and stress free. I’m out of work in terms of the coaching and management, which is obviously 24/7.”
Gerrard is unlikely to be out of the dugout for long though as he still “loves” football.
But he admitted he does not get the same buzz in the dugout as he did on the pitch back in his heyday.
Gerrard explained: “I miss it everyday, every single day, I would love to run it back and do it all again.
“Coaching and management does not fill the void, it is just not the same.
“Don’t get me wrong it is a great job to still be around it, but in terms of the buzz of playing, I didn’t appreciate it enough.”