A Sky Sports journalist has hailed Steven Gerrard for his man-management at Rangers and coaxing the best out of Alfredo Morelos.
Scottish football expert Andrew Dickson claimed on his personal Twitter account that the “one thing which has impressed me more than anything else” during Gerrard’s reign is how he endorses his players publicly.
Following the manager’s gushing appraisal of Morelos at the weekend, in which he claimed he would be “willing to fall out with people at Rangers” to keep hold of Morelos, Dickson gushes about Gerrard’s management style.
If there's one thing which has impressed me more than anything else since he took charge, it's Steven Gerrard's man management at Rangers. He talks Morelos up massively here, always says the kind of thing that makes folk want to run through walls for him. https://t.co/oQxfJyK0u1
— Andrew Dickson (@mrandrewdickson) November 24, 2018
OPINION
While Umar Sadiq may question Dickson’s claim that Gerrard’s man-management of his players is always spot on (Jordan Rossiter might be a second senior player not entirely convinced), there is no doubt that the manager does a good job of bigging up the players when they deliver the goods. Morelos, James Tavernier and Ryan Jack have all been given the verbal equivalent of a Jurgen Klopp bear hug this season, as Gerrard makes it clear how important they are to him and the team, although other key players, including Connor Goldson following his horror show in Moscow, have been on the end of a tongue lashing from the manager. Gerrard picks his moments to dig out his players, although he might regret being so demeaning to Goldson in the immediate aftermath of the Russia encounter. That said, Morelos will head on to the pitch at Villarreal on Thursday night feeling 10 feet tall and as good as he has ever felt when starting a competitive match.