Former Rangers defender Jon Flanagan has celebrated a major milestone in his coaching career after guiding the Steven Gerrard Academy to a historic treble-winning season.
Flanagan, who played with Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and was managed by the Anfield icon at Rangers between 2018 and 2020, shared the achievement in a post on LinkedIn.
Jon Flanagan praises young treble winners
“Yesterday, we secured the U19 NWP title with three games remaining, completing a historic treble,” he said.
“Just one loss across all league competitions this season, unbelievable achievement to be the first team to win both the U23 and U19 divisions in the same campaign.
“A long and demanding season, but a testament to the commitment, standards, and consistency shown by every player and staff member involved.
“Looking forward to what is next, with a number of players now progressing into EFL clubs and scholarship pathways.”
The academy won both the National Football Youth League U23 Central League, the NFYL U19 Northwest Premier League and the U19 Mayor’s Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.
Flanagan at Ibrox
He was a controversial recruitment for the Gers after his conviction for a 2017 assault on his partner while at Liverpool.
However, his former captain Gerrard repeatedly backed the defender and approved his move to Rangers.
In various interviews around his arrival, Flanagan made clear that Gerrard’s influence was a major factor in his decision to join, describing the opportunity to work with him again as “a big motivation.”
Flanagan spent two seasons at Ibrox, making 39 appearances before departing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He had spells with Belgian club Charleroi and Danish club HB Koge before a knee injury ended his career in 2022 at just 29.
