Today, Steven Gerrard returned to Anfield to partake in a friendly between Liverpool legends and Barcelona legends on Merseyside.
The match took place this afternoon, following a training session at Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre yesterday.
Gerrard netted a penalty – which he won himself – in the 2-1 defeat to Barcelona’s legends, cooly slotting into the bottom right corner.
Some have questioned how Aston Villa might feel about their manager rubbing shoulders with Liverpool, and the 41-year-old has now addressed those concerns.
What’s the story?
Well, unsurprisingly, Gerrard admitted Aston Villa had no issues with him returning to Liverpool whatsoever.
Speaking to LFCTV, the Villans boss said: “I asked Aston Villa and they were first class. I come back here for my city and for the foundation.”
After all, the match took place in aid of the LFC Foundation, so it would’ve been rather controversial if Aston Villa stopped the most popular man involved from taking part.
In truth, the Villans probably would’ve angered Gerrard had they tried to stop him from playing, so it’s best for all parties that he was allowed to play.
Aston Villa must be wary of Steven Gerrard and Liverpool
When Jürgen Klopp leaves, we feel Liverpool will go straight to Gerrard if he’s still performing well in the Villa Park dugout.
It’s become a common occurrence in modern football to hire cult heroes, with Arsenal hiring Mikel Arteta, Juventus appointing Andrea Pirlo, Barcelona hiring Xavi, and so on.
Therefore, the Villans must be wary of this, and have a replacement in mind.
Of course, Gerrard is a committed professional, but he had no qualms about leaving Rangers right in the middle of the season.
As a result, Aston Villa need to be ready for Gerrard to do the same to them, by having an heir to his throne lined up.
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