Steven Gerrard has called time on his Major League Soccer stint after 18-months Stateside.
With his LA Galaxy side losing out to Colorado Rapids in the play-off stage of the season, the former Liverpool and England midfielder posted on Instagram to say: “special place incredible view I will miss you LA”
Special place incredible view I will miss you LA #lalalandA photo posted by Steven Gerrard (@stevengerrard) on Nov 13, 2016 at 1:38pm PST
That all but confirmed he was leaving the United States after moving there in 2015, with a subsequent post (below) making it official. Now the question now is where next for Gerrard. Many Liverpool fans will hope for a return to Anfield but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen in a playing capacity at least.
When I left Liverpool, I came to Los Angeles with the goal of helping the Galaxy lift another MLS Cup, I am of course disappointed to have not achieved that objective, but I can look back at my time at the club with pride at what we accomplished, including two straight playoff appearances and countless memorable moments on the pitch. As someone who spent the whole of their career in Liverpool, it has been an incredible experience to come to Los Angeles and play for the LA Galaxy. I would like to thank Mr. Anschutz, Dan Beckerman, Chris Klein and Bruce Arena for this opportunity. I would also like to thank my teammates, the coaching staff, all of the support staff and most importantly the fans for their fantastic support during my time at Galaxy; I am excited to see this league and this great club continue to grow. I am now looking forward to spending time with my family as I consider the next stage of my career .A photo posted by Steven Gerrard (@stevengerrard) on Nov 15, 2016 at 8:08am PST
If Liverpool do not come calling then there is almost no chance that a move to any other Premier League side will be considered. After such a long stint in the red of Liverpool it’s almost unfathomable that he will wear the colours of an English outfit.
Therefore with Jurgen Klopp taking his cards off the table and all other Premier League clubs a non-starter then a move further north could very well be a possibility, so could we see Steven Gerrard once again link up with Brendan Rodgers, but this time in the green and White of Glasgow Celtic?
The two worked together at Anfield for three years and their time will undoubtedly be remembered most for Liverpool’s failure to capture the title in 2014 and the infamous ‘slip’ by Gerrard at home to arch rivals Chelsea, which all but cost them a first league trophy since 1990.
With them both leaving the club 2015, albeit under different circumstances, there is not the opportunity to complete some unfinished business in the Premier League but there is the chance of these two working together in the slightly calmer waters of the Scottish Premiership.
In fairness to Celtic fans if the 43-year-old Northern Irishman wasn’t in charge of the club then I don’t think they would be top of the list of the teams chasing the former Liverpool captain’s signature, but there is no doubting that the opportunity to work under Rodgers once again will be a tempting one.
Many will wonder if Gerrard can still cut it at Premier League level and perhaps he feels it’s better not to try and potentially tarnish the legacy he has created in his glittering 17-year career on Merseyside. They always say that you should never go back, and this is why a move to Celtic could be in the works.
It could almost be the ideal twilight to his career – he’d be away from the spotlight that a return to England would bring and an opportunity to once again link up with a manager that was so close to winning a Premier League title just two years ago.
For Celtic, there’s no question that this would be a luxury signing, what with such a commanding gap at the top of the table. But if they aren’t signing him to win all important league points then they will look to get him on board to utilise the priceless attribute which is his years of experience.
It will obviously be a step or two away from playing in such high profile clashes as facing Manchester United or squaring off against Everton, but any footballer worth their stripes would love to get stuck into the high intensity that an Old Firm match would bring.
Even if his time at Celtic Park is just a short one, then being able to work with one of Europe’s best midfielders of the last two decades will certainly give his potential new team-mates a huge boost. It could even be that he is afforded the chance to undertake some coaching there.
The only real missed opportunity here would be the fact that Celtic have failed in Europe this season. Although not quite knocked out of proceedings yet, they face an almighty task to even move into third in the group which contains Manchester City and Barcelona and therefore potentially offer Gerrard some Europa League action.
Gerrard has made no secret of his desire to step into coaching once he calls time on his playing days but you get the feeling that he is not quite ready to hang up his boots just yet. So a 6-12 month spell with the defending Scottish champions could be a move that suits all parties and who knows he may well finally get his hands on a league title after all.
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