Dirk Kuyt has presented his CV for a possible assistant manager role alongside Steven Gerrard, if his former team-mate is eventually given the manager’s job at Liverpool.
Gerrard and Kuyt played alongside each other for six years, appearing together in 218 games, with Jamie Carragher and Pepe Reina the only players to feature with the Dutchman more often.
Together, they reached the Champions League final in 2007, along with winning the League Cup in 2012, before Kuyt reluctantly left the club that summer.
Kuyt retired in 2017, taking up duties as assistant manager with boyhood club Quick Boys, before briefly returning to a playing role in 2018, ahead of a stint as under-19s coach at Feyenoord.
After a short spell away, Kuyt served in various roles at the Rotterdam club, but in February announced his decision to leave to further his development as a coach, as he nears the completion of his UEFA pro licence course.
In an interview with the Mirror, the former Liverpool striker confirmed his intention to become a manager, but admitted he would be open to an assistant role if it was in support of Gerrard.
“If he wanted me to be his assistant, I’d like that a lot,” Kuyt said.
“In principle, I see myself going on to work as a head coach, but, like I say, there are always exceptions.
“The most beautiful moment I can see is when Steven gets the job and can call himself officially the manager of Liverpool.
“And he’d do a great job. As he’s done at Rangers, he will have a process, doing things gradually step by step.
“I hope to see him develop as a manager and see him work from close by for many years to come.
“That could be in the role of an opposition manager – but it could also be as a colleague.”
Like Gerrard, Kuyt has opted for a lower-profile start to life as a manager, even mirroring his old captain in first coaching at youth level with a club close to his heart.
But with the No. 8 now having celebrated his first title win with Rangers, he is primed for a step up in the future, albeit with talk of taking over at Liverpool being premature at this stage.
Gerrard already has a group of staff in place in Glasgow, which includes fellow Anfield alumni in Gary McAllister and Michael Beale as his assistants, but Kuyt’s offer may be an intriguing one.
Kuyt has already visited Gerrard at Rangers’ training ground, and described a “special bond” between them, saying “his leadership qualities are going to take him very far as a manager.”
Whether that culminates with the pair working together at Liverpool remains to be seen – and, at this point, remains little more than a fantasy – but there would be a sense of fulfilment if they do eventually sit in the dugout.
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