Former English football manager Harry Redknapp believes Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard deserve to be seriously considered as possible candidates for the role of England manager, Soccernet.football reports.
Gareth Southgate vacated his position as the Three Lions head coach last week, following their Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain in Germany and since then, speculation about the next England manager has only continued to grow.
Eddie Howe and Graham Potter are among the FA’s list of targets while Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp, and Pep Guardiola have also been linked to the vacant position.
However, Redknapp believes two names are being overlooked in discussions about Southgate’s successor due to their struggles in the Premier League.
Gerrard is now managing Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq after leaving Aston Villa in under a year, with the club just above the relegation zone at the time of his departure while Lampard has been out of work since his interim role at Chelsea, following his dismissal from Everton.
“The men I see as obvious front-runners will be lucky to even get an interview,” Redknapp said in his column in The Sun.
“I doubt there are many who’d agree with me when I say the FA should look no further than Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard for the next Three Lions boss.
“Either of them could do the job standing on their head, yet probably neither will get so much as a phone call.
“Mind you, plenty of people will insist there’s no reason why they should because they’ve already written off both as failures. Forgetting that Frank reached an FA Cup final and finished fourth in his first spell at Chelsea. Or the fact that Everton were in such a mess, he never had a prayer when he went there.
“There’s every chance they’ll gloss over Stevie’s time at Rangers, despite their first title win in a decade — unbeaten as well — and say he was a flop at Aston Villa.
“But you show me a manager who’s not had a tough time of it somewhere down the line. Potter certainly did at Chelsea — he only lasted 31 games and lost 11 of them. So did Unai Emery, the man who replaced Stevie as boss at Villa, when he was Arsenal manager. It happens to everyone out there.
“So, what’s the difference between Potter and Frank? Why is one an obvious candidate for England, yet the other not even worthy of a mention?”
Gerrard and Lampard both earned over 100 caps for England during their playing careers and Redknapp believes that these former midfielders have the experience and reputation to succeed on the big stage.
“If the FA want someone steeped in football knowledge — at international level too — and who knows the game inside out at that level, both Frank and Stevie leave them standing,” Redknapp added.
“The players would love it as well. They’d be desperate to play for them. They would have nothing but respect whether it was Lampard or Gerrard as boss.
“So, are they both on the scrap heap for good because they’ve had a failure somewhere down the line? There won’t be any managers left before long if that’s all it takes.”