Homesick Gerrard Tipped For Early Return

In the Ancient World, conventional wisdom within the soothsaying community mandated that if you wanted a glimpse into the future, you made a trip to the Oracle of Delphi.  In our wondrous modern era, we no longer have need of such fantastical drivel, as we have much more reliable things like sports bookies and anonymous sources.

Those well versed in the arts of prognostication have consulted the signs offered by these latter day oracles, and the signs suggest former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is about accumulate a whole lot more frequent flyer miles.  It is no secret that Gerrard's sojourn in Southern California with the L.A. Galaxy was never meant to be a long-term relationship, but rumblings from the aforementioned sports bookies and anonymous sources have now indicated that Gerrard's return may come sooner rather than later.

According to the Daily Mirror, "sources" have stated that "[Gerrard] has been offered a job and could be back as soon as August or September," adding that the plan "was always to come back and get into management." As additional context for these suggestions, the sources added that "[Gerrard] and Alex took some of their close friends to L.A. with them but they're finding it tough". I imagine it was very tough indeed trying to fit Jamie Carragher into the carry-on luggage compartment.

Adding fuel to these fires, while also throwing an unexpected twist in the tale, sports bookies have reportedly slashed odds on a Gerrard reunion with Brendan Rodgers, who recently agreed to take the reins at Celtic.  There are even hints that - gasp - Gerrard may take on a player-coach role when he links up with Rodgers in an effort to rediscover the happy-happy good vibes and never-at-all awkward partnership the duo forged at Anfield.

If Gerrard were to assume a player-coach role, a destination other than Anfield seems at least more plausible.  While current Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has spoken warmly of Gerrard in the past (and Gerrard, for his part, has mentioned that he would have liked to have played for Klopp), an Anfield reunion featuring anything more than a very peripheral role would likely prove to be more of a distraction than a boon to Klopp during a very important offseason.

On the other side of the coin, one should probably also consider that Gerrard's contract with the Galaxy runs through December 2016.  This doesn't preclude an early termination to Gerrard's tenure with the Galaxy, but it does present a minor impediment for a August/September return to the UK.  Consider also that Gerrard has had a much smoother beginning to the 2016 MLS season, and that he has recently and publicly stated that he is "really enjoying the experience" of playing for the Galaxy.

Still, the siren song of year-round sunshine and In-N-Out Burgers may not be enough to keep the Gerrard family in Southern California for much longer, and stranger things have definitely happened.  A more realistic expectation might be to look for Gerrard to make an appearance in the UK in early 2017, once he gets out of the L.A. traffic.  In the meantime, let's all imagine Gerrard singing a karaoke version of this song dedicated to Jamie Carragher.