Rio Ferdinand shares what he told Steven Gerrard recently amid ‘pressure’ on Slot at Liverpool | OneFootball

Rio Ferdinand has revealed the advice he gave to Steven Gerrard in recent days amid growing ‘pressure’ on Arne Slot at Liverpool.

Prior to the 2-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, the Reds had lost nine of their previous 12 matches, with some pundits suggesting that the Dutchman could be on the brink of losing his job if results fail to improve quickly.

One German reporter even claimed that it’d be ‘negligent’ of the Anfield hierarchy not to consider approaching Jurgen Klopp about the prospect of a return to Merseyside just 18 months on from stepping aside as LFC manager.

Ferdinand told Gerrard to be ready for the call from Liverpool

Slot’s future was among the topics discussed on the latest episode of Rio Ferdinand Presents, and the ex-Manchester United defender said that he advised his former England teammate to be ready for the call from Liverpool.

The 47-year-old outlined: “I was in Qatar over the last few days with Steven Gerrard. 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.”

(Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Gerrard unlikely to be Liverpool boss for the foreseeable future

Few people are held in higher esteem among the Liverpool fan base than Steven Gerrard, but fewer again would’ve been calling for the Huyton native to take over from Slot.

That’s not necessarily an indictment of our legendary former captain, but rather a firm belief that, despite enduring a miserable season so far, the incumbent head coach remains the right man to lead the Reds back to the heady heights of 2024/25, even if a title retention this term seems most improbable.

Ferdinand is mistaken in talking about the ‘pressure from the terraces’ in relation to the Dutchman, with match-going supporters vocally giving him their full backing even after three dreadful defeats in November.

Also, while Gerrard is a Liverpool icon, his last two managerial spells at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq don’t suggest that he’d be ready to take on the enormous challenge of leading his boyhood club, and the wider scrutiny would be even more intense given his distinguished playing career at Anfield.

The 45-year-old might be back in the dugout somewhere in the not-too-distant future, but for now it’s clear that Slot will continue to be trusted with the reins in L4 unless things truly disintegrate for the Reds.

You can watch Slot’s full post-West Ham press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: