Steven Gerrard reveals what Sir Alex Ferguson told him in private meeting after Aston Villa sacking

Steven Gerrard has revealed what Sir Alex Ferguson said to him after he was sacked by Aston Villa.

During his 17-year playing career at Liverpool, Gerrard went up against Ferguson's Manchester United on plenty of occasions.

The former England midfielder found himself on the losing side more often than not, but that didn't stop him from having a respectful relationship with the legendary Scottish manager.

That relationship has continued into Gerrard's managerial career, which has seen him take charge of Rangers, Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq.

Gerrard impressed in his first managerial role, delivering Rangers' first Scottish Premier League title in nine years.

He moved south to Villa in November 2021, but he was dismissed less than 12 months later after his side won just two of their opening 12 games of the 2022-23 season.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Gerrard opened up on his departure from Villa and the advice Ferguson gave him.

"It was tough. It hurt. I felt it. But what people need to understand is if I didn’t feel that, if I didn’t take that personally, if I didn’t take full responsibility for that, then I am not Steven Gerrard anymore because when it’s football and it’s professional and it’s something that I love I will always own it," he said.

"I am not one of those people who looks to blame, who looks to point fingers. It’s not my style and that’s the reason why I needed a period of time to process that hard toughness.

Steven Gerrard is currently the manager of Al Ettifaq. Image: Getty

"It knocked my confidence a little bit. It does. I spoke to a lot of managers around it. I went to see Alex Ferguson for a couple of hours and he said ‘take your time, don’t jump into anything. Take your time and process it, analyse it’.

"And that is what I have done. But it has not affected my ambition. I didn’t have any targets when I set out on this different journey. I didn’t have a plan to go to Glasgow Rangers.

"I didn’t have a plan to go to the Premier League after three and a half years. I didn’t have Aston Villa on my resume. I am going along trying to be the best version of myself and have a career in coaching because I am passionate about it."

Gerrard returned to management nine months after he left Villa, becoming head coach of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.