Liverpool hand Sven-Goran Eriksson ‘dream’ coaching role after terminal cancer diagnosis

Sven-Goran Eriksson will get the chance to lead Liverpool in a charity game, according to Liverpool.

Eriksson will join the management squad for the legends game against Ajax next month, realising his lifelong dream of leading a Liverpool team at Anfield.

The 76-year-old recently acknowledged that he could not have much longer than a year to live due to pancreatic cancer.

The former England manager expressed sadness at never having coached Liverpool, the team he and his father supported, during the outpouring of support for Eriksson.

This gave rise to the notion that Eriksson might lead Liverpool Legends when they play Ajax Legends in a charity match on March 23.

The Swede will give the team talk with legendary Liverpool players Ian Rush, John Barnes, and John Aldridge before taking the dugout seat.

Jerzy Dudek and Djibril Cissé, two members of the Reds’ 2005 Champions League winning team, are expected to play in the match, and Ryan Babel, a striker, will play for both teams due to his affiliation with both clubs.

Eriksson is travelling with his family in tow.

Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, has also extended an invitation for him to spend a day at the team’s training facility.

During his forty-two-year managerial career, Eriksson guided England to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002 and 2006 as well as the 2004 European Championship. He was the first foreign coach to oversee an English team.

Eriksson saw tremendous success at Serie A side Lazio, where he won seven titles, including the Scudetto, two Italian Cups, and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. He also had stints with English teams Manchester City and Leicester.

Eriksson stated last month: “My father and I have always supported Liverpool, and we both still do.

“So I always wished to be the manager of Liverpool and that will not happen, but I’m still a Liverpool fan.”