Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard admits that not playing under former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is one of the big ‘regrets’ his time in the Premier League.
You can probably put the former Anfield skipper in the same camp as Matt Le Tissier and Alan Shearer. A player who accumulated so much respect after turning down numerous offers to leave his beloved, boyhood club, but also paid for his loyalty with a lack of medals.
OK, Steven Gerrard won the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the UEFA Cup in Liverpool colours. But there will never be Premier League winners’ medal in his collection, the likes of Darron Gibson, Federico Macheda and Jonathan Greening playing in more title-winning campaigns than one of the finest midfielders of his generation.
Speaking to former England team-mate Rio Ferdinand on his Vibe with Five podcast, Gerrard admits that there remains a few nagging ‘regrets’ about having not played under arguably the best trophy-winning manager of the noughties, Jose Mourinho expressing an interest prior to his time at Old Trafford when he was still the Chelsea boss.
Steven Gerrard shares Jose Mourinho ‘regrets’
“I have regrets for not playing for the man and the coach,” Gerrard muses. “Because I know he would have made me a better player. I know he would have added more trophies to what I’ve already won.”
Even during his difficult spell in the Man United hotseat, Mourinho still guided the Red Devils to a treble, of sorts. The former Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss celebrated the League Cup, the Europa League and the Community Shield alongside the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Paul Pogba in the 2016/17 season.
Gerrard, however, insists that – while he cannot help but wonder how things might have worked out for him under Mourinho – he would not change his decision to stay at Liverpool if given the chance to turn back the clock.
Manchester United host Liverpool in FA Cup
“Looking back, I have no regrets not signing for Chelsea,” he adds. “I am actually happy with the decisions I’ve made. I maybe underachieved at times in certain years at Liverpool. (But) it is about trophies but its also about the memories.
“Winning five trophies at Liverpool means more to me than winning ten at Chelsea.”
If Erik ten Hag is to get his hands on a trophy during his second season at United, his Red Devils’ side will have to defeat Gerrard’s old employers in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.