10 January 2023 , 19:13
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Steven Gerrard could move into international management after reportedly being approached by the Polish Football Association.
Poland are currently without a manager after the FA, known as the PZPN, decided not to renew the contract of Czeslaw Michniewicz. The 52-year-old took over from Paulo Sousa in January 2022 and led his nation to the World Cup via a play-off against Sweden.
Poland got out of their group at a World Cup for the first time since 1986, thanks to a win over Saudi Arabia and a draw with Mexico in Group C. They were then beaten 3-1 by France in the last-16 – and the fallout since the tournament in Qatar saw Michniewicz depart on December 31.
Steven Gerrard was sacked by Aston Villa in October (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)According to Polish outlet Meczyki, the president of the Polish FA, Cezary Kulesza, contacted Gerrard early in the New Year. The 42-year-old is reportedly considering the offer from Poland, who also looked at former Belgium boss Roberto Martinez before he took the Portugal job.
Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard, ex-Switzerland manager Vladimir Petkovic and former South Korea manager Paulo Bento are other names in the mix, as well as Polish coaches Marek Papszun and Jan Urban.
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Gerrard is currently without a job after being sacked by Aston Villa on October 20. The former Liverpool midfielder lasted less than a year in charge of Villa after moving down from Rangers to take a first job in the Premier League.
Steven Gerrard is reportedly considering the offer from Poland (Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)He won just 13 of his 40 games at Villa and left them in 17th, with just two wins from their opening 10 Premier League games, after a 3-0 defeat by Fulham. Gerrard was much more successful at Rangers, where he won the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21 and claimed 125 wins from 193 games in charge.
Chief executive Christian Purslow, the man who hired Gerrard and agreed to pay Rangers £4million in compensation, said at the time: "The board has come to this decision following a full evaluation of results and performances over the calendar year.
"We were clear when we appointed Steven that we set an objective of continuous improvement but that has not been achieved despite everybody's best efforts."
Were he to take the Poland job, Gerrard would have to turn around the perception of negative football which dogged Michniewicz. He won five, lost five and picked up three draws from his 13 games in charge over 2022, but left amid a barrage of criticism.
Michniewicz got involved in a Twitter spat with journalists before deleting his account, while his departure also followed a row over bonuses following the World Cup.
Gerrard would have one familiar face in the dressing room, with Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash a Poland international. The 25-year-old has 11 caps for Poland since receiving Polish citizenship in 2021.