Sven-Goran Eriksson has responded to calls for him to take charge of Liverpool Legends against Ajax in March.
The former England manager, who is a boyhood Reds fan, revealed last week that he is suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer and has a year left to live at most. When confirming his diagnosis to a number of media outlets, he also shared how he is a Liverpool supporter and dreamt of managing the club throughout his career.
“My father is still alive and is still a Liverpool supporter, and I’m a Liverpool supporter as well – I’ve always been,” Eriksson told Sky News this week. “So I always wished to be the manager of Liverpool, and that will not happen for sure, but I’m still a Liverpool fan.”
Such an admission prompted widespread suggestions from Liverpool supporters that Eriksson be granted his dying wish and be invited to take charge of their Legends side for their latest LFC Foundation charity match against Ajax on March 23.
On Monday, the ECHO joined calls for Eriksson to be invited to be manager for the game. Meanwhile, over the weekend, former Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia was among those to make such a call, as club legend Robbie Fowler also indicated that the call has already gone in with the organisers.
Now Eriksson has responded to the claim, admitting that while he did not know about such appeals, he would gladly accept the offer, should it arise and had already been planning to attend the game anyway.
“No, I didn’t know about that,” he told Good Morning Britain. “I knew that I had a charity game in March, I think it is, and me and my son are invited to see that game and that might be great.
“There will be a lot of good football players there, but I should be their manager? No, I never heard that, I don’t know where that’s come from.”
GMB host Susanna Reid then asked whether he would be willing to accept the position if Liverpool were to offer it him, to which replied: “I would accept, of course.
“To coach Liverpool, that would be my dream. That’s always been my dream but I’m not complaining. I had a lot of good football teams, national teams and clubs so I’m happy.”
Sir Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, John Barnes, and John Aldridge have formed the managerial team for the Liverpool Legends side in their recent charity matches.
