5 club legends that fans would love to come back as managers

"He is one of our own" is one of the most famous chants in football stadiums all over the world. It is not restricted by language barriers as there are versions in English, French, Spanish, German and other languages.

Fans and players all love it when one of their own is given the opportunity to coach his club. It is one managerial move that instantly gets all the players, staff, fans and even the media onside.

Great players like Zidane, Pep Guardiola, Diego Simeone, and Luis Enrique have gone on to enjoy massive periods of success with the clubs they represented as players. Gennaro Gattuso, Ernesto Valverde, and Niko Kovac are all currently managing the clubs they played for.

This season, three top European clubs have chosen the path of appointing an ex-player or legend as manager to arrest the poor form. Santiago Solari, Thierry Henry, and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer have been given the top jobs at Real Madrid, Monaco and Manchester United respectively.

Here's a look at 5 club legends that fans would love to see as the coach of their respective club.

#1 Steven Gerrard to Liverpool

Gerrard is the ultimate one-club man. After joining the Reds at the age of nine, he went on to sign a professional contract at the age of 17. At 23, Gerrard was made club captain and went on to score so many important goals for his club.

He remains the only footballer in history to score in an FA Cup Final, a League Cup Final, a UEFA Cup Final, and a UEFA Champions League Final, winning on each occasion. He left Liverpool in 2015 and retired as a footballer in 2016 after a short stint with La Galaxy in the MLS.

These days, Steven Gerrard can be seen strutting along the touchline at the Ibrox waving his troops to action. Liverpool fans would love to see him leading the Anfield club from the touchline.

#2 Frank Lampard to Chelsea

The top goalscorer in Chelsea's history with 211 goals, Frank Lampard is Chelsea's greatest ever player. Now a manager at Derby County F.C in the English Championship, Blues fans all over the world are monitoring the progress of their club icon.

If Lampard's coaching career at Derby goes anything like his playing career, then the former Chelsea captain will expect to land the top job at Stamford Bridge in coming seasons.

Having joined Chelsea from West Ham for £11 million, the former England international played for 13 seasons and accumulated the fourth highest number of appearances in Chelsea's history.

He went on to win three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two league cups, two community shields, one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA champions league title.

At Derby, Frank Lampard has done a remarkable job. His league cup triumph over United and an impressive display against Chelsea are a sign of things to come.

#3 Ryan Giggs to Manchester United

Manchester United have so many legends that choosing one that the fans will desire the most is almost impossible. Ryan Giggs may not be Manchester United's greatest ever player but he is the one that served the Old Trafford club the most.

The banner ''Giggs, tearing you apart since 1991" is now part of the furniture of Old Trafford. The Welsh left-footed wizard made his professional debut for United in 1991 and spent 23 years playing in the theatre of dreams before retiring in 2014 to become Van Gaal's assistant manager.

He amassed a record number of appearances for United and won 13 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 2 UEFA Champions League trophies, 1 FIFA Club World Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup winner's medal, 1 UEFA Super Cup and nine FA Community Shield winner's medals.

Giggs has already had a taste of the top job at Old Trafford having replaced David Moyes at the end of the 2013/14 season. He won two games, drew one and lost the other game of his four games in charge.

Ryan Giggs is currently managing the Welsh national team while fans hope that anytime from now their longest serving player will walk into the theatre of dreams from the tunnel as the Manchester United manager.

#4 Thierry Henry to Arsenal

The French world cup winner joined Arsenal from Juventus in 1999 and rapidly established himself as one of the greatest players in Premier League history. He became Arsenal's all-time top scorer with 228 goals, winning two Premier League and two FA Cup titles.

The relationship between Henry and Gunners fans dwindled in recent years following harsh criticism directed at some Arsenal players and Henry not attending Arsene Wenger's farewell match. However, the majority of fans still love him and want him to take over the mantle at the Emirates one day.

He began earning his coaching badges at Arsenal academy before leaving to become the assistant manager of the Belgian national team. Monaco eventually came calling and the French icon returned to France to coach his childhood club.

#5 John Terry to Chelsea

"JT; Captain, Leader, Legend'' can still be seen in the stands at Stamford Bridge despite the retirement of the former England international. John Terry would be Chelsea's greatest ever player if not for the awesomeness of Frank Lampard.

Terry made his professional debut for Chelsea in 1998 and played until 2017. He also became Chelsea's third all-time highest appearance maker and the highest scoring defender in Chelsea history.

Terry is Chelsea's most successful captain, having led them to five Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Europa League, and one UEFA Champions League title.

The current assistant manager at Aston Villa gave his all for the Chelsea faithful and they will love to have him return as manager at Stamford Bridge.

Patrick Viera, Xavi, Bergkamp, and many other legends are other manager choices that would greatly excite the fan base.

Edited by Sujith M