Steven Gerrard has revealed the advice Jurgen Klopp gave him as he looked back on his third anniversary as Rangers manager.
Gerrard arrived at Ibrox to much fanfare back in 2018 with the task of trying to reel in a runaway Celtic and ultimately stop them winning ten in a row.
He achieved that with a bit to spare this season as he lead the Gers to their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade.
The time has flown in for Gerrard, who still tries to apply the advice he got from the current Liverpool boss before he followed him into management.
“I can’t believe it’s been three years already,” he said. “I’ve loved the job and the role. It’s been an absolute pleasure and an honour to do it.
“It's been a journey with some incredible highs and some lows as well, as I always knew it would be. But I’m still as hungry and ambitious as I was when I walked in on the first day.
“I was given such an incredible opportunity so early in my management career although I want to keep pushing and pushing this group to be as successful as we can be while I’m here.
“I knew it was big but you educate yourself even more. You listen to people like ex-players, supporters, people who have worked at the training and Ibrox over many years and you get more education on the size and the magnitude.
“I always knew it was an institution but when you go away on European games and you’re involved in Old Firms and sample it for yourself, this club’s really blown me away in terms of size and stature.
“To try and stay as balanced as I can because this journey takes you all over the place. It takes you to some top feelings, some incredible feelings but it’s also taken me down as well.
“I remember having a conversation with Jurgen Klopp before I even took this role about management and some of the key things he could tell me. What can I take from you that will help me moving forward?
“He always said to me: ‘Try and be as balanced as you can’ and now I know exactly why he said that.”
As for what the next three years might hold, Gerd admits he's thinking much shorter term than that.
He told Sky Sports: “I always just look at the next three days rather than the next three years. I’ll analyse this season when the time’s right and I’ll be immensely proud of what we’ve achieved.
“I’ll reset myself and do whatever I need to do in the background to try and make this group as strong as competitive as I can.
“I’m as ambitious as anyone at this club and I want to try and get this club Champions League football. I want to defend the title with our lives and I want to put the cup thing right because it doesn’t sit well with me.
“So I want to come back in pre-season with a fair chance of being successful. That’s all I ask for and hopefully the boys will support me in that and we go again.”
