Jay Spearing has revealed that Steven Gerrard sent him a ‘good luck’ message before he returned to Liverpool to take up a coaching role earlier this summer.
The 33-year-old is back at the Reds working as a coach for the U18s and also appearing for Barry Lewtas’ U21 side when needed.
The 2012 League Cup winner turned down a one-year contract extension offer from Tranmere Rovers in order to take up the new role and he’s admitted that he takes inspiration from the former Liverpool captain and current Aston Villa boss.
“If I take a path similar to him, I would be very fortunate,” Spearing told the Liverpool Echo.
He added: “I will strive and work hard to go and get that. Right now, all I can do is concentrate on the journey and the opportunity I have been given. I will learn and see what comes. There is a lot of hard work ahead but the end goal is to get myself out there in the big wide world of the professional game.
“Steven was one of the people who passed on the message to say ‘Good luck and learn’ after I was appointed. He told me the same thing I have already explained about Alex being an incredible person to work for and that he’s well-educated, well-regarded and there’s no better person to learn from.
“The Academy is a great place to learn but also make mistakes behind the scenes, without the cameras and pundits, where I won’t be crucified or sacked after five games. I hope to follow in the footsteps of the staff who have come before because you’ve got the likes of Steve Cooper at Nottingham Forest and Neil Critchley at Aston Villa, who have come through and gone on to make a name for themselves.”
Our former No. 8’s managerial career can be deemed a huge success so far after guiding the Ibrox outfit to their first league title in 10 years before returning to England to take charge of Villa.
The scouser hit the ground running at Villa Park when he replaced Dean Smith halfway through last season but he’s received some criticism of late with the Birmingham based side experiencing a slow start to the campaign.
They did register a 1-1 draw against Manchester City last time out, however, and Gerrard will now be eager to pick up as many points as possible before the Qatar World Cup disrupts domestic fixtures across November and December.
Before heading to Scotland to take charge of Glasgow Rangers, Gerrard spent time in charge of Liverpool’s U18s.
He can therefore provide Spearing with advice and tips on how to perform and succeed when it comes to coaching youngsters.
Spearing will be eager to also develop his own techniques, however, and become a unique coach in his own right.
It’s great to see that the AXA Training Centre is becoming one of the most renowned places for coaches to develop and continue their careers in the sport even after they’ve hung up their boots.
Spearing will be aware that there is no need to rush and has already expressed his pride at working for the club once again, but it will be interesting to see whether we see him managing at the top-level one day.
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