Former Al-Ettifaq manager Juan Carlos Garrido has hailed Steven Gerrard and believes the Englishman will succeed in Saudi Arabia.
Garrido took charge of Al-Ettifaq back in 2016 but his stint in Dammam was short-lived as he was relieved of his duties just over three months later following a poor run of results.
The Spaniard managed Al-Ettifaq for only 12 games in total, where he earned just three wins and three draws while losing six.
Nearly seven years after his departure, the former Real Betis and Villareal manager talked about Al-Ettifaq’s current form and was full of praise for Steven Gerrard.
“I do recognise some of the players that are still there but they have grown and become more mature like Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi for example,” Garrido told Shooot.
“I think Steven Gerrard is a really good coach. He just needs more time and only then you’ll see what his team is capable of.
“Some of their performances so far have been a joy to watch and I believe he will have a very successful spell with the current board in charge of the club,” he added.
Gerrard’s side had a bright start to the new Saudi Pro League campaign managing back-to-back wins over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and newly-promoted Al-Hazm in their opening games.
However, they later dropped points after they were held to a 1-1 draw against Al-Khaleej before losing 2-0 to Al-Hilal days later.
They returned to winning ways before the international break with a convincing 3-1 victory in the fifth round over Damac, thanks to a double from ex-Lyon forward Moussa Dembele.