Steven Gerrard makes heartfelt admission about former teammate

Steven Gerrard makes heartfelt admission about former teammate

Gary McAllister only played 87 times for Liverpool, but his impact on the club has always felt far bigger than that number.

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The Scot arrived on a free transfer at the age of 35, won four trophies, scored famous goals and helped shape a young dressing room that would later deliver even more success.

Now Steven Gerrard has explained just how important McAllister was to him personally during those formative Anfield years.

Steven Gerrard praises Gary McAllister impact

Speaking to BBC Scotland for BBC Sport’s Icons of Football series, Gerrard admitted that McAllister’s arrival initially made him nervous.

The former Liverpool captain said: “When he arrived, I thought he was a threat for my position, because I knew he was a top player, but from day one, from the first conversation we connected, he had time for me. Went out of his way to help me.”

That honesty says plenty because Gerrard was already one of the most exciting young players in the country, yet the older midfielder clearly gave him something Liverpool needed at that time.

The 2001 treble team had quality, energy and character, but McAllister brought the sort of calm authority that only experience can provide.