‘I Would Have Leaned on Rodgers’ – Steven Gerrard in Candid Ibrox Interview

STEVEN GERRARD has spoken at length about his six months in Glasgow with former teammate and friend Jamie Carragher for The Telegraph.

In the article, it chronicles the highs and lows and exposes Steven Gerrard for what some people forget he is – a rookie manager.

Finding his way in the management game is entirely different from what is expected as a player, and he admits the adjustment has been overwhelming.

The Ibrox boss also admitted had it not been for the job he took he would have most definitely called upon Brendan Rodgers for advice being his former gaffer.

Gerrard and Rodgers were at Liverpool at the same time, and it was the Liverpool captain who famously slipped and probably cost Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool a famous League title win.

Before he took the Ibrox job, Gerrard was full of praise for the Celtic boss but admits now there conversations are brief because of the situation they find themselves in.

Rodgers juggernaut at Celtic shows no signs of slowing down as the Irishman looks to ten in a row, while Gerrard’s job is to stop him

Speaking about the difficulties of maintaining any relationship between the two; Gerrard admits there’s still a massive amount of respect there but just not the sort of relationship where he can confide in the Celtic boss for apparent reasons.

“As my former manager he would have been someone I leaned on just starting in management,” Gerrard told Carragher.

“I think it is difficult to do that now. Look, I had a good relationship when it was captain and manager but we never socialised beyond the training ground. You would exchange texts and speak, but it was not like you went for dinner or met for coffee.

“Last week I was on the phone to Rafa (Benitez) and had a few conversations. I spoke to him for about 20 minutes, talking about certain teams. I have spoken to Gareth Southgate while doing my pro-licence. I still speak to Alex Inglethorpe (LFC Academy Director) quite a bit, so yes, Brendan would also have been one of those people.

“Because of the rivalry he would not want to tell me anything and I would not want to tell him anything. It is impossible to have that relationship with him. But we have exchanged texts on certain occasions over certain things. I think people want there to be an issue and problem between us, to see us go fiery, toe-to-toe on the line. Now if that happens in the game, it happens. We both want to win. I just think people assumed there would be fireworks. I am not saying there never will be because in a game of football you never know how you are going to react, but at the moment everything is respectful.”

Both go head to head on Saturday at Ibrox in what will be another memorable affair.

The pressure is all on the rookie manager with Celtic being able to absorb any negative result if one should happen.

For Gerrard, it’s must not lose.