Steven Gerrard guided Rangers to their 55th Scottish Premiership title in his third year with the Gers and his side finished their league campaign unbeaten.
The former Liverpool captain earned plaudits for his efforts this season in restoring Rangers to the pinnacle of Scottish football and ending rivals Celtic’s streak of nine league titles in a row.
It has been a topic of discussion among the Liverpool faithful about who could replace Jurgen Klopp once he leaves the Reds and Gerrard’s name is often mentioned as his potential successor.
Despite Gerrard’s achievements with the Gers, Barnes believes that he still has a long way before he proves himself to be the right man to take over the reins from Klopp at Anfield.
The Reds legend insists that Gerrard must show consistency over a long period of time and prove that he will be able to manage at the highest level before being handed the opportunity to manage a club with the stature of Liverpool.
“Pep Guardiola [is my pick to replace Jurgen Klopp when he leaves Liverpool]. Of course there are other managers that you would think are better suited, such as Steven Gerrard who has had a very good season at Rangers, but is he going to come to Liverpool off the back of one good year?”, Barnes told Betting Odds.
“Of course he would be given time because of his relationship with Liverpool.
“If you were to ask me now, if Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool tomorrow would I think Steven was the man for the job?
“Probably not because you would want a manager with more experience and is proven at the highest level.
“He would be given time because he’s Steven Gerrard, but would that be the right thing for Liverpool? Maybe not.
“I’m sure Steven will do really well over the course of his career, but he’s going to have to show a longer level of consistency over a longer period of time before we start linking him with the Liverpool job.”
It remains to be seen whether Gerrard will be able to lead Rangers to a consecutive Scottish Premiership titles and prove himself as a manager capable of delivering trophies on a consistent basis.
