Steven Gerrard may hang up his boots in 2016

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Steven Gerrard on the training ground with Jurgen Klopp

Ex-Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is contemplating retirement from professional football by the end of 2016 and intends to begin a coaching career, preferably with Liverpool.

Gerrard bid adieu to Anfield last year and shifted base to Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy. But news is that he is back to the Merseyside club during the MLS close season and has been practicing with Jurgen Klopp’s team during their training sessions.

I’ve had a chat with Klopp: Gerrard

In an interview, the midfielder said, "I'm not 100 per cent sure but I think it will probably be my last year as a player.”

Gerrard is supposed to return to MLA action in January, but he has already hinted at his plans beyond the end of this season. The ex-England captain has no wishes to go on a hiatus after his career as a player ends. He would rather continue to work a coach.

"I have had a chat with Klopp. I haven't had an offer as such, but the club have let me know they are keen for me to come back but there hasn't been a conversation where they have said, 'We want you to do this, we want you to do that'.

"They have welcomed me back in. I am always going to be biased towards Liverpool and the FA and basically when I am back home I am going to carry on with my punditry work and try and move around clubs and gain more experience, going to watch managers and learning more.”

"I am basically available from November, December 2016. Everyone in the football world will know I am available and hopefully I will be 75 per cent into my coaching badges. I know many players get to the end of their careers, get handed a thick C licence pack and say, 'Nah, I'm not doing that'. That's 70-80 caps and 600 career appearances and he is just going 'nah'. He could have had it done."

Steven Gerrard explains why he left Liverpool

Gerrard expressed regret at not having paid enough attention to gaining experience towards being a manager. He said he has wasted time when he was a player. Gerrard has also urged the Football Association to help experienced footballers so they can be in touch with the game even after retirement as it will eventually be of great benefit for the game.

He said "I have regrets I didn't start my coaching badges at 21-22. All that time wasted in hotels as an England player when I've been bored and was watching The Office and The Sopranos. I wish I'd done my CBA [coaching] licence then so I'd be doing my pro-licence now.”

“I could have certainly become a squad player or signed the year extension that I was offered. But I think to sign it there would have had to be a ‘short, middle and long-term’ plan for me at Liverpool rather than just fade into being a squad player.”

“I don’t really enjoy being sub and missing big games. I felt I would have been signing a year extension just because it was there on offer really.”

“As I said in my book if there was a plan of being a squad player then moving into a shadowing role or a transition to the staff that would have been a bigger carrot dangled for me.”

“There is no regret, anger or bitterness. I just want to look forward and what’s next for me. When you come out of playing for Liverpool every week and you’re the captain and playing for England, of course a big weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Steven Gerrard happens to be one of those players who stay loyal to one club in their lifetime. He has been loyal to Liverpool. He had recieved offers from various other big clubs while he was with Liverpool but he always opted to stay. Even now at the end of his playing career Gerrard has his heart set on Liverpool, the club which he captained, the club which he loved. It seems Gerrard will not be away from Anfield for long.

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Edited by Staff Editor