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Steven Gerrard could rejoin Liverpool as an academy coach after he rejected the chance to manage Milton Keynes Dons, sources close to the player have told ESPN FC. ESPN FC sources revealed on Saturday that League One outfit MK Dons, who are searching for a new manager after the departure of Karl Robinson last month, were set to fail in their bid to tempt Gerrard into his first managerial role at Stadium:mk. Gerrard, who is in the process of earning his UEFA A coaching licence, has yet to make a decision on his next move after confirming he is leaving LA Galaxy when his contract expires in December, but it is reported he is open to a return to his former club in a coaching role which could be combined with a similar position with the England senior squad. He is also considering continuing his playing career for another six months before hanging up his boots to concentrate on coaching. Sources have told ESPN FC that although both parties would be open to a role coaching at Liverpool, any move to join the staff at Anfield this season seems unlikely and that will not change before the summer. MK Dons have also sounded Gerrard's former England teammate Frank Lampard, but the ex-Chelsea star also snubbed their overtures as he plans to continue playing for another year after leaving New York City FC. The Dons are in the League One relegation zone, one point adrift of safety, after having been relegated from the Championship last season. Former Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher believes Gerrard is not yet ready to go into management and wants to gain more experience first. "I just don't think he fancies it," Carragher told Sky Sports. "He's only just got back, he was in the States and his family didn't go over there fully, so I think it would be a big move to then move down to Milton Keynes. "It maybe came a bit too early, if it was six months or 12 months down the line then maybe there would have been a good chance of it happening. "I don't think he is fully ready, he's still got to get coaching badges, that's not to say he couldn't do the job, but I think he maybe wants to get more experience. "I think it's great that is making noise that he wants to go into management. I think if he would have taken the job it would have been a good decision in terms of the club. "Sir Alex Ferguson always said don't pick your club, pick your chairman and I think that chairman [Pete Winkelman] gave Karl Robinson plenty of time, a good five or six years. "He gave Roberto Di Matteo and Paul Ince a chance and their first jobs in football. He certainly seems a chairman that gives a young manager a job, so I think it may have been more the chairman than the club that would have enticed him to go there. "He's turned that down now, but the fact that he has spoken to a club means more clubs will be showing an interest and I think it will only be a matter of time." ESPN FC correspondent Peter O'Rourke contributed to this report
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