Carragher open to idea of coaching

18 May 2013 14:17

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher will bring the curtain down on a 16-year playing career tomorrow but he has not ruled out making a return to the game in a coaching capacity.

The 35-year-old, due to lead the side out on his 737th appearance for the club against QPR, will become a television pundit next season. However, he accepts nothing will ever replace the buzz of the dressing room and the only job which will come close to that would be as a coach.

The centre-back said: "It is very difficult to replace that whatever job you go into. The closest is probably coaching and managing so I suppose if I do miss it so much I will look to get back in at some stage."

He added: "I am sure I will (miss it). I love the dressing room and getting yourself up for big games,

"There is nothing better than being successful and achieving things with your mates - they were great times for us."

Manager Brendan Rodgers said he will miss his regular chats with Carragher about football but hoped he would not be lost to the game in the long run.

Chairman Tom Werner has already said the door is always open for the Bootle-born defender to return in some capacity and Rodgers echoed that.

"Over the course of the next two to three years he will look to decide what he wants to do," the Reds boss said.

"There is no doubt if you are a footballer with the passion he has you are going to miss it. You are never going to take the football out of him. He has never ruled that (coaching) out but it is not at the forefront of his mind at the moment. I hope one day in the future we can look at that side.

"I think he has a great deal to offer on the coaching side but I think there is a natural break off where he needs to go have a period with his family and then he will renew his motivation. You never know what the future holds."

Source: PA