Jurgen Klopp believes Steven Gerrard is destined to manage Liverpool.
Gerrard faces off against his boyhood club for the first time since leaving in 2015 when Aston Villa travel to Anfield for Saturday’s Premier League clash.
The 41-year-old remains adamant that his move to Villa Park from Rangers last month was not with a long-term vision of taking the reins with the Reds.
But Klopp feels there is a sense of inevitability that Gerrard, who has won three of his opening four games, will someday be in the Liverpool hot seat.
He said: “Yes, I think, absolutely (he will become Liverpool manager).
“The only problem is when is the right moment for that? We saw it with Frank [Lampard] at Chelsea.
“He [Gerrard] is doing really well but is very young from a manager’s point of view. When is the right moment to take the manager’s job?
“Not because he’s not able to do it but how long do you want to do it? Is it the last job you want to do? The second job?
“Those are questions I can’t answer. But yes, I think it will definitely happen – and that is good for everybody.”
“It’s not for me to make the decision. I don’t know what you have to do before you become Liverpool manager,” added Klopp.
“I know people say you have to win things but I’m not sure about that. It is more important you win things when you are here.
“You don’t have to win things in the past with all this ‘proven winner’ rubbish. You can win things in the past and never win things again.
“The most important thing for each manager is that the club is in a stable moment, then you have a good chance to improve things.
“Everything what he did so far looks good and he’s going in absolutely the right direction. But what does that mean?
“I can’t see a scenario where I will be involved in that decision but who knows what the future brings. We will see.”