Jurgen Klopp’s expected successor.. When will Stephen Gerrard approach Liverpool training?

For Steven Gerrard, a year ago the perfect world was less than 15 minutes away, but now it seems farther than ever.

A year ago this weekend his Aston Villa side were 2-0 up at Manchester City on the final day of the season and he was set to work Liverpool, the club Gerrard would forever be associated with, it was unbelievable, the Anfield champions would do the only thing he could. He could never do as a player, winning the league title. He was the natural successor to Jurgen Klopp.

But suddenly Aston Villa collapsed, conceding three goals in five minutes and losing 3-2. Gerrard and his players were mocked by Manchester City fans who invaded the pitch after watching Pep Guardiola’s men lift another Premier League trophy.

From that moment on, nothing remained the same, neither to Liverpool, who lost the Champions League final the weekend following that match, nor to Gerrard, whose contract expires five months after the ill-fated Manchester City confrontation, and he is thinking of a way to restore his coaching career to a better shape than it ended. Try it, Villa Park.