'I played with Jamie Carragher at Liverpool - we thought he would become a coach'

Jamie Carragher's move into the media took some of his former Liverpool teammates by surprise – because they thought he would end up going into coaching.

Carragher hung up his boots in 2013 and immediately made the move into punditry, joining Sky Sports for the 2013-14 season. He's worked for Sky ever since, and is also part of CBS Sports' popular Champions League broadcast, which airs in the United States.

Former Liverpool player Igor Biscan said that he and his former Reds teammates felt that Carragher had all the attributes to take up coaching at the end of his playing career.

Speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer Champions League odds, Biscan said: “Everybody knows Jamie Carragher really knows a lot about football and he follows all those teams and leagues and everything.

"He's the one that maybe most people were expecting to be a coach and to manage.

“But it's up to him, of course, what he wants to do. His job now is a different one: to comment on football.

“Coaching is a little different. It's much more complex. It's not easy, and this is why I really rate those big ex-players and legends that still wanted to get back and be exposed to a lot of criticism - to get back and really do it.

“It's not for everybody, and sometimes people might think: ‘I don't need all of that, my life is perfect as it is.’

“But for this reason, I have even more respect for those people who came back to fight, to be exposed, and to try to stay in the game and to help others become better players.”

Last year, Carragher admitted that he has no intention of returning to an active role in the game due to how much he enjoys being an analyst.

"I did my coaching badges at the end of my career, but the honest answer is no," Carragher said when asked in a Q&A with The Telegraph whether he has any ambition of going into coaching.

"You think about it when you know you have to stop playing, but I never had the option. Basically, no one ever offered me a coaching job!

"As soon as I finished playing, I got the best gig I could imagine by joining Monday Night Football, and I love that too much to think about trying management.

"The ship has sailed now. I won’t be doing a Gary Neville!"

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