Sunday saw two more Premier League bosses dismissed from their roles.

Graham Potter's sacking by Chelsea followed on from Leicester City cutting ties with Brendan Rodgers.

That pair of dismissals took the total count of managerial departures for the season to 13 in England's top tier. Twelve of those have been sackings.

According to Opta, it is the most managerial sackings in a Premier League season by three.

The previous high mark of 10 (set in the 2013-14 season and equalled in 2017-18) was matched last season.

Yet this campaign has been even more extreme. Here, Stats Perform assesses the 13 managers to have departed.

 

Scott Parker - Bournemouth (August 30)

Just four league games had passed when Bournemouth became the first club to blink, sacking Parker on the back of a humiliating 9-0 defeat to Liverpool. Parker went on to join Club Brugge in Belgium, but lasted less than three months, winning just two of 12 matches. His replacement at Bournemouth, Gary O'Neil, has the Cherries in 16th, far from down and out.

Thomas Tuchel - Chelsea (September 7)

Arguably the biggest shock sacking of the season came early on, when Tuchel was shown the door by Chelsea's new owners. Not long over a year on from leading the Blues to Champions League success, Tuchel was out of work. He is now back in a job, having succeeded Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich in March.

Graham Potter - Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea (September 8)

Potter will feature again in this list, of course, but he does count as two of the 13 departures on Opta's list, given he left Brighton to fill the Chelsea vacancy. The Seagulls had enjoyed a brilliant start to the season and Potter had earned his shot at a big club. It would not, of course, go according to plan.

Bruno Lage - Wolves (October 2)

A full month had not passed by the time a third coach was given the boot. Lage had a decent first season at Wolves, but their form had tailed off towards the back end of the 2021-22 campaign, going winless in seven games. That poor form carried into this term, and having won just one of their first eight league games, Wolves decided to make a change.

Steven Gerrard - Aston Villa (October 20)

Gerrard made a bright start at Villa in 2021, and had been given a large transfer budget across two windows, but the former Rangers boss was struggling to make matters click, either with his team or the fanbase. Villa made the call to end the project before the World Cup, and moved efficiently to bring in Unai Emery, who has got them well clear of any danger. Since his first game in charge, only Arsenal (13) and Manchester City (10) have more Premier League wins than Villa.

Ralph Hasenhuttl - Southampton (November 7)

Hasenhuttl had provided Southampton with fresh life when he was appointed in 2018, but since reaching a pinnacle of topping the table in November of the 2020-21 season, it had been a constant struggle. Saints managed to scrape 40 points last season but were firmly in the relegation scrap when they decided time was up for the Austrian. His replacement, however, did not fare well.

Frank Lampard - Everton (January 23)

That glut of changes prior to the World Cup break was followed by the halting of Lampard's Everton tenure in late January. Results had been terrible, with Lampard managing just three wins all season - a tally already matched by his successor Sean Dyche. However, the nature of dismissing a manager so late in the transfer window left Everton with little time to reinforce their squad, and they are still firmly in the mire. Losses to Wolves, Brighton, Southampton and West Ham marked the end of Lampard's time at Goodison Park.

 

Jess Marsch - Leeds United (February 6)

After one relegation candidate blinked, so did another. Marsch was ditched by Leeds following a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, with the Whites - like Everton - once again faced with a scrap for their lives. Marsch, like Lampard on Merseyside, had managed to garner enough spirit and resolve to keep Leeds in the division last season, but the American was not an entirely popular figure among Leeds' fanbase, and whatever system he was trying to implement was clearly not working.

Nathan Jones - Southampton (February 12)

To put it frankly, Jones' time at St Mary's Stadium was downright bizarre. Brought in from Luton Town, Jones clearly had no lack of self-belief, but he lost his first four league games at the helm. Southampton appeared to be clicking into gear under Jones when they beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, Manchester City in the EFL Cup and then Everton in the league, yet the Weslhman – who was not shy at reeling off his strengths despite the lack of results – received his marching orders following the EFL Cup semi-final loss to Newcastle United and a 3-0 top-flight defeat to Brentford, with Saints bottom of the pile, where they remain.

Patrick Vieira - Crystal Palace (March 17)

A run of 13 games in all competitions without a win led to Vieira getting the boot midway through March. Palace lost 4-1 to league leaders Arsenal under the interim charge of Paddy McCarthy, and turned to former, supposedly retired, boss Roy Hodgson to try and push them away from danger. Hodgson made a good start, with the Eagles coming from behind to beat Leicester 2-1 on Saturday.

Antonio Conte - Tottenham (March 26)

An unhappy marriage came to an end when Conte left Spurs by mutual consent, just over a week on from lambasting his "selfish" squad, along with the entire club's mentality, following a 3-3 draw at Southampton. Conte had never seemed content at Tottenham, and now Cristian Stellini will oversee the rest of the season. The international break was a turbulent one for Spurs, with director of football Fabio Paratici now on a leave of absence after his ban from Italian football was made a worldwide one by FIFA last week.

Brendan Rodgers - Leicester City (April 2)

Leicester played the April fools on Saturday in their defeat at Selhurst Park, a result that left them in the relegation zone. Rodgers had earned the Foxes' backing with his achievements since taking over in 2019, having won the FA Cup and led Leicester into Europe twice. However, Leicester had won just two league games since the season restarted, and a change felt overdue.

Graham Potter - Chelsea (April 2)

Not long after the dust had settled on Rodgers' departure, Chelsea confirmed the news that Potter was no more. Well, not literally, but the man who had managed so much magic with Brighton could not replicate those tricks at Stamford Bridge. A three-game winning streak in March seemed to suggest a turnaround was in the offing, but a home draw with Everton and Saturday's 2-0 loss to Villa marked the end for Potter, who will perhaps regret leaving Brighton. He leaves Chelsea with the joint-lowest points-per-game total of any of the Blues' Premier League coaches (1.27).

Steven Gerrard can understand what Harry Kane might be thinking as he weighs up whether to leave Tottenham in pursuit of silverware.

Aside from a series of loan spells as a teenager, Kane has spent his entire club career at Spurs.

He is now Tottenham's record goalscorer, also becoming England's leading marksman during this international break.

But Kane remains without a major honour to his name, losing three finals with Spurs and one with England.

That wait for glory will not end this season, with Tottenham eliminated from the FA Cup and Champions League before Antonio Conte departed on Sunday.

With Manchester City dominant, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United rejuvenated and Liverpool and Chelsea likely to improve next season, the window in which Spurs can succeed may be closing.

That has prompted plenty of debate around Kane's future, but Gerrard is in a good position to consider the England captain's options.

Gerrard spent all but the final 18 months of his career at Liverpool.

Although he did win silverware – most notably the Champions League in 2005 – the Reds favourite never lifted the Premier League trophy and surely would have enjoyed greater success elsewhere.

Gerrard, appearing on Channel 4, said of Kane: "He's got a big decision to make career-wise.

"I've been there myself, where you're thinking: 'Is my team good enough to get me the medals? Am I going to get out of my career what I want to get?'"

Gerrard's emotional ties to Liverpool meant he stuck by them in pursuit of a long-awaited league triumph, but he believes a potential move will be playing on Kane's mind.

"It's different for me," Gerrard added. "I knew winning one trophy more with Liverpool would have meant a lot more to me than being anywhere else.

"He's got a big decision to make. I can't give him any advice on that, but I bet you every single day of his life now moving forward, it's going to be on his mind."

Kane pushed for a move to Man City in 2021, but Tottenham stood firm. City went on to sign Erling Haaland last year.

Man United appear more likely suitors for the 29-year-old this time, looking for a big-name striker to pair with Marcus Rashford following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure.

Steven Gerrard added further fuel to speculation over Liverpool's move for Jude Bellingham after telling the midfielder his development is well ahead of his own progress at the same age.

Bellingham impressed once again as England cruised past Ukraine with a 2-0 victory in Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifying clash and joined Gerrard on the Wembley Stadium touchline at full-time.

The former Reds captain, speaking as a pundit on Channel 4, lavished high praise on the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, who is reportedly a target of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City.

"You're a lot further ahead than when I was your age, so you're going in the right direction that's for sure," Gerrard told Bellingham.

When pressed on how Bellingham is further developed than ex-Liverpool and England star Gerrard, he added: "I never had that power and strength until I was probably 22, 23.

"So he is definitely more physically developed than me. He's more confident than me on the ball in terms of what he will try. And I'm not saying that just being modest, it's the truth, I think he's further on than what I was at 19.

"I got to where I wanted to get to and he'll get to where he wants to get to if he carries on doing what he's doing.

"He's in a fantastic place. Everything else around him he just needs to park it up and keep playing well and everything else will take care of itself."

It was not the first time Gerrard has lauded the teenage star, offering in January to take Bellingham out for dinner and talk about his future, suggesting a move to England and Liverpool would benefit his career.

Bellingham was quick to return the favour, praising the impact Gerrard had as Liverpool captain during his playing career.

He said: "The things that Stevie could do, the way he could carry a team and single-handedly win a game. He could do everything as a midfielder.

"I've said it multiple times that I look up to you and your game."

While a transfer-window battle awaits for the signature of one of Europe's hottest prospects, Bellingham continues to enjoy the learning experience of playing with England.

The former Birmingham City midfielder has already captained Dortmund this season and, while appreciating patience will be required, said leading his country out would be the greatest honour in football.

"That would be the biggest dream, and the biggest honour in football I think is to captain your country," he continued.

"There's a long pecking order that I highly respect and I'll wait my turn. In the meantime it's picking up what I can learn from them. This is the best place to do it.

"We should be looking to win every game. You set yourself a standard and an expectation and it's important you match that. We have to carry that on for the rest of the qualification campaign."

It's fair to say Harry Kane was something of a late bloomer on the international stage, at least in comparison to the man he has surpassed as England's all-time leading goalscorer.

While Wayne Rooney was named in Euro 2004's Team of the Tournament at the age of 18, Kane was 22 by the time he first appeared at a major international competition.

Despite Rooney's head start, the prospect of Kane beating his record of 53 England goals has seemed inevitable for some time after the Tottenham striker took on a talismanic role for Gareth Southgate's side. 

Kane could have broken the record at last the 2022 World Cup. He had already scored one penalty in the quarter-final against France and, with England 2-1 down, he stepped up to take another at Al Bayt Stadium.

Yet his effort soared over, England's chances of World Cup success crashing down around their captain.

Fitting, then, that it was from the penalty spot that Kane broke Rooney's record by netting his 54th England goal, as he put the Three Lions 2-0 up ahead Italy in their first match of 2023.

He has now cemented his place in the pantheon of England greats.

With Kane assuming his place as the country's greatest goalscorer, Stats Perform looks at the legacy he has built on the international stage.

Stepping out of Rooney's shadow and repaying Southgate's faith

Kane wasted no time in introducing himself on the international stage.

Having replaced Rooney as a substitute against Lithuania in March 2015, the Tottenham striker needed just 79 seconds to net in a 4-0 win.

Since 1872, Kane is one of just six players to score inside two minutes on his England debut, while that strike made him the first to do so since Gerry Hitchens in 1961.

 

However, after England's dismal Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland, Kane had scored only five goals in 17 international appearances. Retrospectively, it wasn't quite the flying start one may have expected from a future great.

While Kane entered that tournament having won the Premier League's Golden Boot, he was uninspired as Roy Hodgson sought to find space for both Rooney and Daniel Sturridge in an unbalanced team. 

That stunning defeat in Nice, as well as a corruption scandal that later led to the departure of Sam Allardyce after just one game at the helm, made 2016 a year to forget for England.

However, the appointment of Southgate that November, coupled with the new manager's decision to drop a declining Rooney the following March, set the stage for a dramatic improvement from the Three Lions' new talisman.  

All but five of Kane's 54 international goals have been scored under Southgate, the highest tally scored by any England player under a particular manager by some distance – Gary Lineker is second with 35 goals under Bobby Robson.

The man for the big occasion 

The idea that the England shirt can weigh heavily upon those who regularly star at club level has been a common theme for decades.

Of Rooney's 53 international goals, for instance, only one was scored at a World Cup – an ultimately inconsequential effort in 2014's decisive 2-1 loss to Uruguay in Sao Paulo.

The Manchester United great may have hit the net seven times across his six major tournaments, but four came in his remarkable breakout campaign at Euro 2004, and he was continually criticised for failing to carry his club form onto the international stage.

Rooney is not the only England star to suffer that fate. Frank Lampard scored three times at Euro 2004 but did not net at another major tournament. Fellow midfielder Steven Gerrard hit 21 goals for Three Lions, but just three came at tournaments. 

Despite arriving at the 2018 World Cup having plundered 30 goals across the 2017-18 Premier League season – his most prolific campaign in the competition – Kane was seemingly open to the same criticisms, but a Golden Boot-winning tournament changed perceptions.

 

Kane as England's tournament specialist

While defeats to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and Italy in the Euro 2020 final have left Southgate battling accusations of underachievement, England's very presence in some of the biggest international fixtures has owed much to Kane.

Kane's total of six goals in Russia was enough to see off the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kylian Mbappe for the Golden Boot, and only Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrik Schick (both five) bettered his tally of four strikes as England went agonisingly close to Euro 2020 glory.

Having netted against Senegal and France at Qatar 2022, Kane's tally of 12 goals at major tournaments is an outright England record, beating Lineker's total of 10, which came exclusively at World Cups.

With Kane now having eight World Cup goals to his name and looking likely to participate in at least one more edition, the 29-year-old could also claim Lineker's status as England's top marksman in FIFA's flagship tournament.

Nevertheless, some might accuse him of "stat padding" against weak opponents. After all, Kane has scored more international goals against San Marino (five) than any other nation.

However, he has also often been the scourge of the world's elite, as England's old rivals Germany – the opponents for four of Kane's England goals – will attest. 

 

Cementing Kane's legacy: Does more history await in 2026? 

Brazil great Ronaldo, Miroslav Klose, Mario Kempes, Gerd Muller and Eusebio are among the legends to have claimed the honour of top-scoring at a World Cup. None of them – nor any other player – has done so at two separate tournaments.

Kane ultimately could not repeat his 2018 exploits in Qatar. But in terms of other records and future success, age is – just about – on his side. The Spurs striker will be 33 when the 2026 World Cup rolls around. He will likely have set a daunting target for any future England strikers to chase.

Troubling Klose's all-time record of 16 World Cup goals may be unrealistic but claiming a spot in the top five of that list – and beating Pele's tally of 12 – appears a plausible target. 

While Kane's England legacy may be chiefly judged on whether he can inspire the team to bring football home for the first time since 1966, his international goalscoring feats are worthy of lofty praise regardless.

If Kane wins a major trophy during his England career or not, his contribution on the big stage means he should be remembered as one of his country's best ever.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola issued a public apology to Steven Gerrard over "unnecessary and stupid comments" he made about the Liverpool legend last week.

Guardiola referenced Gerrard's slip against Chelsea in the 2013-14 Premier League title race when defending City amid allegations of more than 100 breaches of financial rules. 

Gerrard's costly error allowed Demba Ba to race through and score for Chelsea in a 2-0 win at Anfield, with that proving a pivotal moment as City went on to win the title.

"I don't know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping. Was that our fault?" Guardiola said last Friday. "I have respect for Steven – but that moment belongs to us."

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of City's huge showdown with Arsenal, Guardiola opened proceedings by revealing he has reached out to Gerrard to apologise.

"I apologise to Steven Gerrard for my unnecessary and stupid comments I said the last time about him," he said. 

"He knows how I admire him and his career, what he has done for this country that I am living and training in. I'm ashamed of myself because he doesn't deserve it. 

"I truly believe in my comments in previous press conferences to defend my club, but I didn't represent my club well putting his name in these stupid comments."

Gerrard spent 17 seasons at Liverpool prior to leaving in 2015 and played out the final two campaigns of his playing career in Major League Soccer with Los Angeles Galaxy.

He has since moved into management and enjoyed a successful spell at Rangers, winning the Scottish Premiership in 2020-21, before a disappointing year with Aston Villa.

Pep Guardiola reaffirmed that Manchester City's glorious moments will always belong to them, asking if it was the club's fault Steven Gerrard slipped in the 2013-14 season.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the seasons of 2009-10 and 2017-18. 

Speculation has been rife as to the level of punishment the champions might receive should they be found guilty, including points deductions, relegation or the stripping of the titles they won during that time period, including two under Guardiola.

Yet Guardiola has insisted the moments cannot be taken away from City or their fans regardless of the punishment, if indeed there is one, with the manager sarcastically asking the press if it was his club's fault that Liverpool great Gerrard slipped at a vital moment in the 2013-14 title race.

Gerrard fell to the Anfield turf during a clash with Chelsea in April of that season, with Demba Ba going on to score as the Blues triumphed and handed City the chance to go and win their second Premier League title.

"Those moments belong to us. They absolutely belong to us, regardless of the sentence, they belong to us," Guardiola said.

"The goal from Sergio Agüero [in 2012]. I don't know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping at Anfield. Was that our fault?

"I have respect for Steven Gerrard – but that moment belongs to us.

"The moments that we lived these years together, the Premier League will decide, but I know what we won and the way we won it.

"I know the effort we put in. If something happened in 2009 or 2010 it is not going to change one second."

Guardiola has full faith in the club's hierarchy.

"What I can say is I am proud of my owners, of my chairman, and the relationship we have had, this time together," he said.

"I have relied on them [and what they told me] a lot in the past, now you can't imagine."

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola also remains fully committed to City's cause.

"If they want me here I will be here," he continued. "The results are not good, they will put me out because it is a business where you have to win.

"But if they want me I will not let them down and my players, too. I want to convince them that what we have done, we have done and they won't remove it.

"We have to defend our position and the way to do it is on the pitch, that’s the only way, and the way we have done it all the time."

City would move within three points of league leaders Arsenal, who drew with Brentford on Saturday, should they beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

The corresponding fixture last season saw City come from behind to beat Villa – then managed by Gerrard – 3-2 on the final day of the season, clinching the fourth Premier League title of Guardiola's tenure in the process, ahead of Liverpool.

Steven Gerrard believes Jude Bellingham should steer clear of continental Europe's top clubs and come to Liverpool.

Former Reds midfielder Gerrard has offered to take Bellingham out for dinner and tell him about what he could achieve by moving to Anfield.

Bellingham has long been touted as a big-money target for the Reds, and Gerrard believes the 19-year-old would be more likely to flourish with Liverpool than with Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

The attraction of Liverpool may be diminishing, with Jurgen Klopp's team looking highly unlikely to qualify for the Champions League through the Premier League route this season.

They may yet get there by winning the Champions League, but that looks a fantastical prospect given they face Real Madrid in the last-16 stage, and given Liverpool's general form has been terribly patchy this season. A 0-0 draw at Anfield against Chelsea on Saturday left the Reds rooted in mid-table, a worrying distance behind the top four.

"All he needs to do is send his diary to me, when he's got a free day," Gerrard said, while working as a pundit on BT Sport. "I'll fly to Dortmund personally, I'll take him out for a nice dinner and we'll talk about it."

What is beyond dispute is that Bellingham's skill set and dynamism would improve Liverpool's midfield, with Klopp's experienced campaigners Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara not the force they once were. Gerrard described that area as "a little bit stale".

Gerrard said: "I'm sure Jude is bright enough to see there's a stand going up here, this is going to be a 60,000-seat stadium, they've got one of the best five managers in the world, they've won the Premier League of late, they've been in Champions League finals of late, they pay very well here – that's a fact."

Bellingham plays at an 81,000-capacity ground with Dortmund so Anfield is small by comparison, but there are undoubtedly aspects of a move to Liverpool that might appeal.

Dortmund are struggling domestically this season, too, so Bellingham would not be giving up the prospect of likely league titles in Germany, particularly given Bayern have dominated there for the last decade.

But he might have transfer options where winning major trophies would appear more likely than if he were to move to Merseyside.

Even though Bellingham has been playing in Germany for three seasons, and flourishing in the Bundesliga, Gerrard feels the former Birmingham City player belongs in England.

"I think it's important he stays in this country," said former Liverpool captain Gerrard. "He's 19 years of age.

"You talk about Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich; I know he's doing it at Dortmund now, but them clubs are at a higher level than Dortmund and you can get swallowed up.

"There's a lot of stars, and you can get swallowed up by making a move too soon.

"In my opinion, staying around England, staying around this country, getting developed, there's still growth in him, and he can evolve, and I think staying in England until a certain age until he hits his peak years is very important for the boy now."

Philippe Coutinho has shut down speculation he is looking to leave Aston Villa, with the Brazil international blasting reports he wants an exit as "lies".

The former Liverpool and Barcelona playmaker initially arrived at Villa Park in January on a short-term loan deal under Steven Gerrard, whom he played alongside at Liverpool.

A successful spell earned a permanent move from Barca during the off-season, but following Gerrard's sacking in October, Unai Emery took charge at the Midlands club.

Reports emerged earlier this month the 30-year-old was seeking a departure in the January transfer window, but Coutinho has taken to social media to rubbish those claims.

"In the last few days I've seen a lot of news with my name," he said in an Instagram post. "The problem is now that some lies have started, and I'm here to clarify.

"Never, and at any moment, [have I] had any kind of conversation asking to leave the club, because I'm happy here and my family [are] too.

"My only focus now that I've recovered from injury is to work at the maximum every day, to play [at] a high level, and help the club and my team-mates to achieve our goals."

It has been a tough campaign for Coutinho so far, with form and injury struggles contributing to him losing his position in the Brazil squad ahead of the World Cup.

After recording eight goal involvements (five goals, three assists) in 19 Premier League games during his initial loan spell, he has failed to contribute any in 13 league games since the move was made permanent.

Steven Gerrard is convinced the World Cup break will benefit Liverpool's bid to rescue their season, backing the Reds to make a flying start when the Premier League returns.

Liverpool fell narrowly short of winning an unprecedented quadruple last term, lifting the EFL Cup and FA Cup before finishing as runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp's team have failed to mount a similar charge this season, and they entered the World Cup break sitting sixth in the Premier League, a troubling 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Asked whether it felt like Liverpool had been afforded a second pre-season, former Reds captain Gerrard told the club's website: "Yeah, it's an opportunity to get a lot of work in on the training ground, reset a few things.

"I'm sure Jurgen and his staff are doing a lot of things tactically, but it's also an opportunity to have a much-needed rest. They've played a lot of football over the last few years, they were involved in every competition last year.

"So to have a small pre-season before a ball was kicked, [then] to have this opportunity to rest and then have a second build-up, I'm hoping that Liverpool come flying out of the blocks."

Liverpool's run to three cup finals meant they played an energy-sapping 63 games in the 2021-22 campaign, and Gerrard believes the continuing break could tee them up for a thrilling finish to the 2022-23 season.

"I expect a really strong six months and finish to the season, because important players have had the chance to rest and recover and the players in the World Cup should come back full of confidence, in a good place, physically ready," said former Rangers and Aston Villa boss Gerrard.

"I expect a really strong, exciting finish to the season for the Reds."

Liverpool resume competitive action with an EFL Cup trip to Manchester City next Thursday, before visiting Villa – who sacked Gerrard as head coach in October – on December 26 in their next Premier League game.

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has hailed England midfielder Jordan Henderson for his "immaculate" World Cup performances.

Henderson was not named in the starting line-up for the Three Lions' opening two group games, but has made a big impression after featuring from the outset in the Group B closer against Wales and the last-16 triumph over Senegal.

The Liverpool midfielder scored the opener against Senegal, becoming his country's second-oldest scorer in the finals aged 32 years and 170 days, after Tom Finney against USSR in 1958 - at 36 years and 64 days.

Gerrard has been impressed with his former Reds team-mate's leadership qualities and believes his contribution can sometimes be undervalued.

"Obviously being an England fan I'm following England and Jordan from a personal point of view. I think he's been immaculate, both on and off the pitch," Gerrard told Liverpoolfc.com.

"His last performance he was obviously man of the match, very well deserved, and he shut a few critics up that for some reason seem to point fingers at Jordan. 

"Being a midfielder, being around Jordan on the daily basis, to see the sacrifices, his dedication and what he puts into his own preparation, the hard work that he puts in, I'm not surprised that he's putting in this level of performance and I'm delighted for him. 

"But it seems as if a lot of people outside the LFC family don't need an invite to point a finger towards him so I'm delighted that he has shut a few up."

Asked what attributes Henderson brings to the England midfield, Gerrard added: "Experience would be the most important thing. 

"I think England have got a lot of young, exciting talent, but you need experienced players that positionally give these younger players licence to go and cause a lot of damage.

"I think Jordan, what he's found in that performance is a typical Jordan Henderson performance where he is solid, his A to Bs are all really good, positionally he is bang on, but at the right time he joins in and gets himself forward. 

"He's a really strong runner and his timing for the goal and his execution of the goal was world-class and it was the perfect all-round performance, so credit to him."

Henderson will be hoping to start again alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice in midfield when England take on France in a mouthwatering quarter-final on Saturday.

Former England midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are confident the Three Lions can go "all the way" at the World Cup in Qatar.

England begin their Group B campaign against Iran on Monday, looking to cast aside their poor recent form in the Nations League in a bid for their second World Cup triumph.

Gareth Southgate has led England to at least the final four in consecutive major tournaments – becoming the first manager to do so since Alf Ramsey in 1966 and 1968 - and Gerrard believes the team can build on their recent near misses in Qatar.

"I'm really optimistic. I've got a lot of belief and confidence in the boys, I'm sure they're extremely excited at the moment," Gerrard told Sky Sports.

"I'm looking forward to going on a journey with them, now that I'm a fan and an ex-player. I've experienced where they are right now and I'm really looking forward to, hopefully, a positive start to build belief.

"They were millimetres away from winning the Euros, to get to a World Cup semi-final is a positive performance.

"I think, collectively, they should have belief, they should have confidence and togetherness. They're a real tight group with a fantastic manager, there's a lot of talent.

"I think if we get the right bits of luck and the right breaks, and keep the majority of the squad healthy, I'm confident we can go all the way."

Everton manager Lampard concurs with his former international team-mate, viewing England as one of the favourites to win the tournament.

"We've got a squad that has been building for a couple of years, they've had a couple of tournaments where they've had relative success and they're getting stronger, in my opinion," Lampard said.

"I think we can fairly put England as one of the favourites for the tournament, with the talent they have in the squad.

"I think it'll be about momentum in the tournament itself, who gets through the group, who builds that confidence and momentum, and then that can take you all the way."

England are the only European nation to have reached the semi-finals in each of the past two major tournaments.

However, since winning the World Cup on home soil in 1966, England have only progressed beyond the quarter-finals of the competition on two occasions – finishing fourth in 1990 and 2018.

Jude Bellingham will be a superstar for England over the next decade, according to Steven Gerrard as the Three Lions prepare to kick off their latest World Cup campaign.

The Borussia Dortmund teenager will appear at his second successive major tournament under Gareth Southgate after making the plane for Qatar 2022.

Following a superb start to the season in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League, hopes are high that Bellingham can have a major part to play in England's latest quest for glory on the world stage.

Former Liverpool and England great Gerrard feels there is plenty to come from the youngster over the coming years, while assessing the team's chances in Qatar.

"The tournament is going to be littered with high-class players," he stated, speaking at Hyundai's Goal of the Century sustainability campaign. "Jude, I'm a massive fan of his. I think in the next 10 to 15 years, he's going to become an England superstar.

"I love the midfield area now with [his] introduction. I really like our front half. I think the big challenge for England is whether we can find the right personnel and find the right partnerships in defence."

Southgate leads England into his third major tournament in charge, having reached the semi-finals of Russia 2018 and the final at Euro 2020.

Gerrard says the Three Lions need to learn from their historic shortfalls this time around to go the distance.

"I think the difference between them succeeding or not will be whether they lean on previous experience," he added. "They should have a lot of confidence from [being close at] the Euros.

"I think England are one of four or five teams who can win this World Cup. That's not false belief or hope. There are enough games for us to build confidence and belief, and anything can happen from there."

Brad Friedel believes the authorities are "doing as much as they possibly can" when it comes to treatment of concussions in football.

Questions were raised about the decision to keep Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez on the pitch after he took a blow to the head during the 4-0 defeat to Newcastle United last week.

Martinez was eventually replaced, but it led to the Professional Footballers' Association to call for temporary concussion substitutes to be introduced to the game.

Speaking to Stats Perform, former Villa shot stopper Friedel said the protocol is improving for dealing with such incidents.

"Concussions are tough to detect," he said. "We play without helmets and, of course... Petr Cech did in his career because he had a fractured skull - [but] you don't get into too many clashes [as a goalkeeper].

"If a striker wants to be a little bit naughty on the through balls, they can leave a foot in, but it doesn't happen that often.

"I'm not so sure what more they could do to protect the goalkeeper. I think the more science that comes out with regard to concussions and concussion protocol, the better. Each season they're trying to do as much as they possibly can."

The former United States international explained he had suffered a concussion during his time at Blackburn Rovers.

"I was playing for Blackburn at home against Birmingham. I got knocked out, I think out for about six minutes, and I answered all the questions," he said. 

"I don't remember answering them and I carried on playing it. [It was] no fault of the doctors. I passed the protocol at the time and then I went in at half-time, and then they saw that I wasn't on planet Earth, so I didn't play in the second half.

"As a player, your adrenaline takes over you, you just want to stay on the field, and it's a tough one because it's really hard to tell if somebody's concussed in 30 seconds or a minute or a minute and a half.

"I would hate to be in those meetings with the NFL. A concussion technically is when your brain hits one side [of the skull] and then the other. I mean, for every play in the NFL, that must happen to somebody. It's a tough thing to really clamp down on... And I know they're trying to do as much as they possibly can to make it efficient."

Friedel also expressed his disappointment that Steven Gerrard was recently sacked by Villa following a run of poor results.

Gerrard was replaced by Unai Emery after the Midlands club won just two of their first 11 Premier League games of the season (D3 L6), and while Friedel understands the timing, he also believes his former Liverpool team-mate could have turned things around at Villa Park.

"Disappointed that it happened because Stevie's a friend," he said. "Based on the results, [it was] probably the right time, right before World Cup, and then you're going to have [the January] transfer window.

"I would also like to have thought if they kept him that he would have built the club up and gotten them into a mid-table position.

"That's not how football works and it can be ruthless. Being a head coach can be tough sometimes, but I would just say the run of results was the final blow and perhaps that performance and result against Fulham [3-0 loss at Craven Cottage] when the fans started singing against Stevie, that was probably it."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is adamant Steven Gerrard will return to management but hopes he takes some time away from football after being axed by Aston Villa.

Gerrard was sacked following Villa's defeat to Fulham on Thursday, which left the club above the Premier League's relegation zone on only goals scored, having picked up just two wins in the opening 11 matches of the campaign.

Previously touted by many as Klopp's eventual successor at Anfield, Gerrard must now rebuild his reputation after a disappointing stint with Villa that came following success in Scotland with Rangers.

Klopp does not expect that to be an issue for the former Liverpool captain, although he hopes he does not rush back into a role.

"I'm very sure he will come back from that. During my seven years at Liverpool, with the academy we created a close relationship," he said in Friday's press conference ahead of the clash against Nottingham Forest.

"I always followed him, we had a little exchange this morning but nothing too deep, it wasn't a long conversation. I can imagine it is a disappointment for him with the ambitions that he had and the things he wanted to achieve with Aston Villa, it's obviously not good.

"We don't need to worry, he knows the game long enough, it's life, we all get knocks, it's all about how we respond. He always came back and he will come back from that, no doubt.

"A lot of great managers out there had to leave their previous clubs for different reasons. Quite frequently, they'll turn up somewhere else and will have learned from that situation.

"He will be back, 100 per cent, but I hope that he will take a bit of time for himself, since he finished his career he has pretty much been working all the time, so maybe use it now a little bit himself to recharge."

Jamie Carragher believes Aston Villa may have sacked Steven Gerrard because they feared the atmosphere at future games would become "toxic".

Villa acted shortly after Thursday's 3-0 Premier League loss to Fulham, a sixth defeat in 11 games for a Villa side who have won just twice in the top flight this season.

Carragher and Gerrard were long-standing Liverpool team-mates and remain close, to the point they had been discussing Villa's upcoming games just days ago.

However, Carragher was not surprised Villa opted for a change of head coach.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Carragher said: "I don't think it was too much of a shock that the news came out. It was just whether the Aston Villa board would let Stevie take the [next] game because it's so close around the corner on Sunday against Brentford.

"But the reaction of the Villa fans, maybe they felt the crowd would be a little bit toxic on Sunday and better for all parties to part ways."

Carragher is intrigued to see whether Gerrard jumps back into a coaching role in the coming months, or whether he keeps his distance for a while.

Gerrard enjoyed considerable trophy success at Rangers but could not replicate that with Villa, departing after just under 12 months at the helm.

"I'm really not sure whether Stevie would go back in or wait 12 months," said Carragher. "I spoke to him a few days ago about the upcoming games for Aston Villa, and he's not daft, he knows the situation.

"It will be really interesting, that's not something I've spoken to him about, whether he's the type of guy who wants to be manager for the next 20 years or he's maybe picked certain jobs that really appeal to him. I think that's what he's done in the first few jobs that he's picked.

"Whether Stevie would drop down to the Championship, I'm really not sure."

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe said the sacking was a reminder of the "volatile" nature of being a Premier League boss, and he expects Gerrard to find another club before long.

"I'm disappointed for Steve. I think he's a very good manager," Howe said at Newcastle's press conference ahead of Sunday's meeting with Tottenham. 

"It just goes to show the short-term nature of everyone's thinking. I've got no doubt on his quality and I'm sure he'll be back very soon."

Villa on Friday announced the departure of five of Gerrard's staff, including former Scotland captain Gary McAllister. He has left the club, along with Neil Critchley, Tom Culshaw, Jordan Milsom and Scott Mason

They have put first-team coach Aaron Danks in temporary charge, meaning he will lead the side for the Brentford game.

Chief executive Christian Purslow said Villa's target "of continuous improvement" had not been achieved under Gerrard, adding: "The process of appointing a new head coach is under way and we will update supporters as soon as possible."

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