Steven Gerrard appears to still have some hurdles to get over as he adjusts to life in Saudi Arabia.
The former Liverpool captain took over as head coach of Al Ettifaq earlier this month after initially rejecting the club’s advances.
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Gerrard had been out of work since his sacking as Aston Villa boss last October but a return to management in the Saudi Pro League came as a surprise to most.
Gerrard has embraced the move even if there appears to be a few teething problems for the 43-year-old.
Footage has emerged of Gerrard taking a training session with his squad where he appears to be encountering some issues with the language barrier.
In the clip, Gerrard places the ball down before signalling for a one-two with one of his players.
Clearly not getting the response he wanted, the former Villa boss shouts at the player: “Do you want it [the ball]? Tell me then.”
The hesitation from the player in question then led to Gerrard to turn his attention elsewhere before turning back to the player and shout: “No communication.”
The situation will no doubt have frustrated Gerrard, who hopes his time in Saudi Arabia will help him evolve as a manager.
Gerrard joins the Saudi Pro League at a time when it has been thrust into the spotlight in a way that’s never seen before.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr in January opened the door for a host of money-spinning signings including Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, who both joined Saudi champions Al Ittihad.
Wolves captain Ruben Neves and Chelsea’s Kalidou Koulibaly recently joined Al Hilal and were this week joined by Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
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Gerrard will set his sights on bettering last season’s seventh-placed finish and the key to doing so could be the signing of Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson.
The 33-year-old is believed to be open to joining Gerrard in the Middle East in what would be a huge coup for the Saudi club and league as a whole.
