As Steven Gerrard finds himself back in the headlines, we reflect on how he's done at at LA Galaxy since leaving Liverpool...
Jurgen Klopp confirmed this week that he had invited Gerrard to train on Merseyside with Galaxy's Major League Soccer season over, though the Anfield manager said his chat with the Reds legend had stopped short of discussing a potential playing return.
Gerrard has in fact spoken openly about the possibility of retiring at the end of next season but do his performances so far across the pond suggest the end of an illustrious career is nigh?
How has Gerrard fared?
Gerrard made his debut against San Jose Earthquakes on July 17 and had an immediate impact, registering a goal and an assist in the California derby.
The former Liverpool captain started every game that followed but scored just once more, grabbing two additional assists, in the following 13 appearances.
His final showing came in the defeat to Seattle Sounders which saw the Galaxy exit the MLS Cup play-offs at the first hurdle - their earliest end to a season since 2008.
Overall, the word "underwhelming" has described his performances among sections of the American media.
After playing in a holding midfield role during his final season at Liverpool, Gerrard has been utilised mainly in a traditional No 8 role in a 4-4-2 formation for the Galaxy, with both central midfielders expected to contribute box-to-box for the franchise.
Major League Soccer is more end-to-end than in the Premier League - as shown by the fact that no team in the league averages more than 55 per cent possession. England's top flight also boasts passing accuracy stats that are four per cent higher than its American counterpart when major clubs are compared.
Gerrard himself has noted the impact of altitude and humidity on his performances, though some commentators have asked whether he would thrive in a more advanced role behind Giovani Dos Santos and Robbie Keane next season, rather than having to do so much defensive work for the team.
What do the stats suggest?
According to the statistical database WhoScored, Gerrard ranks highest among his LA Galaxy team-mates in shots per game, with 2.3 putting him level with Dos Santos and only behind top-scorer Keane.
Gerrard is rated second for key passes with 1.3 - only behind Dos Santos.
But his goal and assist return - two and three respectively - has not been as high as expected when he joined on a $6.2m (£4.04m) contract in July, whilst defensively there have also been issues.
Having played mostly alongside Juninho in central midfield, Gerrard ranks lower than his team-mate, with the Brazilian averaging 2.3 tackles and 2.5 interceptions a game compared to Gerrard's 1.5 in both categories.
Another interesting stat shows that the Galaxy have conceded 46 goals in 34 games - with half coming in the 13 matches Gerrard played in.
What he says...
On life playing in MLS:
"It could be my last season as a footballer. I certainly don't want to feel like I'm feeling right now come next year. Going on the road, playing on turf, playing at altitude, playing in humidity, those are the hurdles that I've had to face over the last three months that I wasn't aware of. Every away game has a different challenge. At home, we've got no problems because we're very strong and we play well. We'll always win more than we lose."
The level of MLS:
"I think if we were full strength, we could compete against more than half of the Premier League on a one-on-one fixture. That gives an idea of the level. I think we would still struggle against the top six sides. But we would be a match for a lot of the teams. That's just trying to get the people back home to gauge the level. So it has surprised me and it is better than I thought."
After exiting the play-offs:
"I don't think I would bring our qualities or our character into question. We always give everything we've got and sometimes it's not enough. I think if you analyse the whole season we were brilliant up until three or four weeks ago and all of the sudden we have been conceding sloppy goals and that certainly got carried into tonight."
What they say...
"By the time he got here at the end of June he knew everyone. He knew the names of players he was meeting for the first time and he knew about their qualities. He was fully prepared. We've had other players in the past where the transition of moving their families was a major chore. With him it was already done. It was so smooth it was ridiculous." (Bruce Arena, LA Galaxy manager)
"Stevie has been shocked with how professional everything is, how good the coaching is and how well they look after you." (Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy striker)
"The challenge is when you play against, or in teams, where you have a lot of young players where it's a lot of up and down action, and the pace of the game changes, you don't have the same quality players around that perhaps can cover the ground in a way that some of his former teammates at Liverpool could do once he was getting older. He has to do a lot more for the LA Galaxy right now then he would have at this stage of his career at Liverpool, and the fact is he's not able to do so." (Former MLS striker/analyst Alejandro Moreno)
"Stevie has a contract with LA Galaxy, he loves this club and he is a legend and when his contract has ended we can talk about different stuff. We will find for sure something for Stevie when he comes back and whatever he wants to do we will help him but not at this moment - we are in the middle of the season." (Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool head coach)
"He went out to LA full of hope and expectation, but has spoken about the unexpected challenges which he has faced. He didn't realise the amount of travelling that would be involved, away from his family, particularly when LA were playing on the east coast. Also, the humidity he's had to contend with - which at the latter stage of his career is something new - and also the artificial surfaces as well. These are all factors in Gerrard considering his future." (Sky Sports News HQ reporter Ben Ransom)