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Los Angeles Galaxy captain Robbie Keane is tipping Steven Gerrard to prove a success in Major League Soccer as the Liverpool legend prepares to make his debut in the United States.
Keane told reporters Tuesday he had been impressed with the speed at which Gerrard had slotted into the Galaxy set-up since his arrival in California just over a week ago.
The former England captain is expected to make his debut in a friendly against Club America at the Galaxy’s home in Carson, south of Los Angeles, on Saturday.
The 35-year-old trained with his new teammates in a session opened to media on Tuesday, looking strong during a practice match by scoring one goal and having a hand in several more.
“He’s looking sharp,” Keane said afterwards. “He has been off for a few weeks but it doesn’t look like that. He has already settled in.”
Keane believes Gerrard has already started setting an example to his new teammates.
“He’s good in the dressing room; he’s good for the younger players who can look and see how he takes care of himself and he’s good for the midfield players who want to see how he plays.
“He trains the way he plays — he wants to win, even in training.”
Keane revealed Gerrard, with whom he shares an agent, had sought his advice earlier this year when mulling his decision to head to Los Angeles.
“He wanted to come,” Keane said. “He wanted to know what the league was like, how competitive it was, what the lifestyle was like.”
Keane joked he had warned Gerrard to prepare himself for local weather conditions. “I told him to take lots of factor 50 (sunscreen). Our Irish and English skin isn’t used to the sun,” he said.
The Ireland international striker also joked about the possibility of Gerrard’s strong Liverpudlian accent causing a problem for American listeners.
“Me and Steve can’t understand them! We understand each other fine but it’s them we can’t understand,” he quipped.
By AFP
