Steven Gerrard fears for Arne Slot's Liverpool future after 'alarming' Man City 'crumble'

Steven Gerrard voiced his concern regarding Arne Slot's Liverpool future following the Reds' emphatic FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City.

With Liverpool firmly out of contention to lift the Premier League title, unsuccessful in the EFL Cup and awaiting a two-legged tie with reigning European champions Paris Saint Germain in the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup was seen as the most realistic opportunity to earn silverware prior to the weekend.

Their FA Cup hopes were all but over at the half time mark at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon however, conceding a quick-fire double at the hands of Erling Haaland after a promising opening 30 minutes.

A goal for Antoine Semenyo and third for Erling Haaland only added to Slot's woes in the second half, subjecting the Reds to a quarter-final exit in the competition, and the Dutchman now enters what could prove a defining week in his Liverpool career.

Talk surrounding Slot's future as the Liverpool head coach is hardly new, nor is it surprising given their dismal title defence, but the opinion of a club legend often carries a lot more weight than that of a fan.

Gerrard, who has openly admitted that he would be keen to return to the club in some capacity, berated Liverpool's mentality following their 4-0 defeat to Man City.

Speaking to Ally McCoist and Gabriel Agbonlahor via talkSPORT, he said:

“It was really worrying and concerning in the way that Liverpool did crumble, and also even more alarming what the players are saying after the game.

“In terms of saying there’s no fight, you know, we gave the game up. At Liverpool Football Club, that can’t happen on the pitch and it certainly can’t be said off the pitch."

“So, worrying times I must say."

Despite a drastic demise this campaign, Liverpool enter the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against PSG on Wednesday night, with the reverse leg set to be played at Anfield the following Tuesday. Separating the European contests is a Premier League clash with Fulham, a matchup that Gerrard believes could be just as important in determining Slot's future.

The Liverpudlian added:

“I think the Fulham game is just as important and I think if the ownership and the people above see that (points) gap to (Aston) Villa and (Man) United stretches or gets any worse, I worry for the manager’s position and I don’t want to see it happen.

"I am a huge fan of Arne Slot, he’s obviously a good coach. I think the key to this situation will be the Fulham game in terms of if he can get more heat on United and Aston Villa, and he can stay in the PSG game into next week, I think everything will be fine and in a better place in five, six days time.

"But if this was to get any worse, I worry for the manager, I must say.”