Steven Gerrard has expressed regret over his decision to leave Liverpool, revealing that he would have gladly postponed his exit had he been aware of Jurgen Klopp's impending arrival. The former skipper departed the club in the summer of 2015, a mere few months before the German took charge.
After leaving Liverpool, Gerrard headed to LA Galaxy, where he spent just over a year before retiring from professional football at the age of 36.
Interestingly, Liverpool had offered him the option to stay for another season. However, the discussions revealed that his role would be significantly reduced, with Gerrard understanding that he would be a squad player receiving considerably less game time.
Looking back, he admits he might have made a different choice.
In his own words:
I would have sacrificed a lot — both professionally and personally — to have the chance to play under Klopp.
At the end of my career at Liverpool, I was offered another year's contract. But conversations with the coaching staff suggested my role would shrink considerably, meaning I wouldn't see as much action as I would have liked.
Klopp officially took the reins at Liverpool in October 2015, while Gerrard was already playing in the United States.
The former captain continued:
If I had known Jurgen was definitely coming, I would have taken the risk and stayed. I would have tried to impress him to earn that opportunity towards the end of my career.
But at the time, I didn’t know, and I made the decision to leave. Looking back now, I would have stayed and taken that risk.
Klopp's first season at Anfield saw the team finish eighth in the Premier League and miss out on silverware, losing in both the League Cup and the Europa League finals. However, he later guided Liverpool to unprecedented triumphs, including a Premier League title and a Champions League victory.
