Steven Gerrard has signed a two-year extension with Al-Etiffaq in a deal despite a difficult start to life with the Saudi club.
Gerrard is winless in his last 8 games for Al-Etiffaq and has recently lost his top signing and former Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson, who has left the club to return to Europe.
“We knew at the beginning this was a big job and a challenging job,” Gerrard said in the club’s announcement late Friday. “We had to put in place new infrastructure like building a new training ground in phases and building a new stadium. But a lot has been achieved.”
The former Aston Villa manager said he’s hopeful of January additions to help the team, which has scored just three goals during its winless slide and is eighth in the standings.
“I understand where we are in the league, but I am very confident we will improve,” he said.
Gerrard, who retired in 2016 after an 18-year playing career, joined Al-Ettifaq last summer on a two-year contract. He had a successful stint as manager of Scottish club Rangers but was fired at Villa in October 2022 after less than a year at the helm.
Earlier, Henderson completed his move to struggling Dutch powerhouse Ajax after lasting just six months at Al-Ettifaq.
Henderson, like Gerrard a former Liverpool captain, reportedly hadn’t settled in the Middle East and saw a return to European soccer as important to confirming his place in England’s squad ahead of the summer’s European Championship.
Gerrard is winless in his last 8 games for Al-Etiffaq and has recently lost his top signing and former Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson, who has left the club to return to Europe.
“We knew at the beginning this was a big job and a challenging job,” Gerrard said in the club’s announcement late Friday. “We had to put in place new infrastructure like building a new training ground in phases and building a new stadium. But a lot has been achieved.”
The former Aston Villa manager said he’s hopeful of January additions to help the team, which has scored just three goals during its winless slide and is eighth in the standings.
“I understand where we are in the league, but I am very confident we will improve,” he said.
Gerrard, who retired in 2016 after an 18-year playing career, joined Al-Ettifaq last summer on a two-year contract. He had a successful stint as manager of Scottish club Rangers but was fired at Villa in October 2022 after less than a year at the helm.
Earlier, Henderson completed his move to struggling Dutch powerhouse Ajax after lasting just six months at Al-Ettifaq.
Henderson, like Gerrard a former Liverpool captain, reportedly hadn’t settled in the Middle East and saw a return to European soccer as important to confirming his place in England’s squad ahead of the summer’s European Championship.