CARSON, Calif. – Count LA Galaxy captain Robbie Keane among those that are excited for the arrival of the LA Galaxy’s newest Designated Player signing Steven Gerrard in July.
A teammate of the Liverpool FC icon from the 2008-09, the Irish goal scorer found himself on the end of Gerrard’s sublime service more than a few times during his short stay at Anfield. After having close contact with Gerrard during his decision process, it was no shock that the reigning MLS MVP offered his stamp of approval for the signing after his first preseason training session on Monday.
“It’s going to be great. He’s a top player and I know that he’s very excited to come here. He’s really looking forward to the new challenge,” the Galaxy captain told a group of reporters. “He’s going to be brilliant for the team. He’s a top player who has a great attitude and is a great professional. He’s certainly going to add to this team.
“I’ve spoken to him and I know that he’s looking forward to a new challenge. It’ll be totally new for him because he’s from Liverpool himself and he’s never left home. I’m sure that he’ll enjoy it over here and he’ll help us win championships.”
Gerrard who signed with the Galaxy earlier this month will arrive this summer after the conclusion of Liverpool’s 2014-15 campaign. The 34-year-old former England captain has spent the last two decades with Liverpool scoring 116 goals in nearly 500 career league appearances for the club.
Keane who called Gerrard one of the best midfielders that he ever played with—Irish international Roy Keane being the other—stated that where Gerrard’s presence will truly be felt is in his ability to not only perform well, but also make the players around him better.
“The players will see how good he is and how simple he makes things. He makes things look very, very simple,” said Keane. “When you play with good players then those players make others better. He makes your job easier. I’m sure when he comes over that nothing will change. He’s still the same and he’ll be creating chances and dominating in the midfield like he has for the last decade with Liverpool.
“Most games that you watch with him are the same,” said Keane. “He’ll dominant in the field, keep the ball and spray passes across the pitch. He’ll find people’s feet every time. He’s similar in passing range to [David Beckham] with both long distance and short distance passes. He’s just a top, top player.”
But before the Galaxy can truly get excited about the arrival of Gerrard, they’ll have to navigate their way through the first half of the season and overcome the departures of 2014 stalwarts Landon Donovan (retirement) and Marcelo Sarvas (trade to Colorado Rapids).
Although that transition period will undoubtedly prove to be challenging, the reigning MLS MVP is confident that the Galaxy can start—and finish—strong in 2015.
“When you lose two good players like that, it’ll be difficult, but it’s important for senior players like myself to step up because we’re losing experienced players and players who can contribute a lot to the team,” said Keane. “We’ve got good quality players who have been together for a few years and while we’re going to miss players like that, we have to as a team get together and make sure that we hit the ground running.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
