Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has revealed that he sought the advice of Sir Alex Ferguson after his abrupt dismissal from Aston Villa in October 2022.
Gerrard endured a short-lived tenure at Villa Park, lasting less than a year after taking over as Dean Smith’s successor.
His tenure was marked by a disappointing run of just three wins from 12 Premier League games at the outset of the 2022/23 season.
This dismissal came on the heels of a highly successful three-year stint with Glasgow Rangers, during which he led the team to an undefeated Scottish Premiership season, culminating in securing the title.
Reflecting on his departure from Villa, the 43-year-old confessed in an interview with the Telegraph that the experience left him feeling damaged, prompting him to seek guidance from the venerable Sir Alex Ferguson.
“It was tough. It hurt. I felt it,” said Gerrard.
“But what people need to understand is if I didn’t feel that, if I didn’t take that personally, if I didn’t take full responsibility for that, then I am not Steven Gerrard anymore because when it’s football and it’s professional and it’s something that I love I will always own it.
“I am not one of those people who looks to blame, who looks to point fingers.
“It’s not my style and that’s the reason why I needed a period of time to process that hard toughness.
“It knocked my confidence a little bit. It does. I spoke to a lot of managers around it.
“I went to see Alex Ferguson for a couple of hours and he said ‘take your time, don’t jump into anything.
“Take your time and process it, analyse it’.
“And that is what I have done. But it has not affected my ambition.
“I didn’t have any targets when I set out on this different journey. I didn’t have a plan to go to Glasgow Rangers.
“I didn’t have a plan to go to the Premier League after three and a half years.
“I didn’t have Aston Villa on my resume.
“I am going along trying to be the best version of myself and have a career in coaching because I am passionate about it.”
