Jurgen Klopp reacts to Steven Gerrard's departure from Aston Villa

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Jurgen Klopp reacts to Steven Gerrard's departure from Aston Villa

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has backed Steven Gerrard to bounce back from his Aston Villa sacking.

Gerrard, long-touted as the heir to Klopp's throne at Anfield, was relieved of his duties on Thursday evening after Villa fell 3-0 to Fulham, leaving the team outside the relegation zone only on goals scored. Villa chief executive Christian Purslow, also formerly of Liverpool, has confirmed the decision came after concluding Gerrard had failed to achieve his main objective.

"I am very sure Steven Gerrard will come back from that," Klopp told a press conference. "We had a little exchange this morning, nothing too deep.

"I can imagine that it is disappointing for him because of the ambitions he had and the things he wanted to achieve with Aston Villa. It's obviously not cool, but I don't think we have to worry now for Stevie. He knows the game and that these things can happen.

"We all get knocks, it is about how you respond. He will come back from that, no doubt. A lot of great managers out there had to leave their previous clubs for different reasons.

"Some of the best turned up elsewhere and tried to learn from it to earn a better situation. So he will be back 100% but now I hope, actually, that he takes a bit of time for him. Since he finished his career he has been working pretty much all the time, so maybe use it a little bit for himself to recharge."

Gerrard, who left a successful spell with Rangers to move to Villa in November 2021, leaves the Midlands club with a record of 13 wins, 19 losses and eight draws from 40 matches in charge.