Hodgson: He is the spirit of Shankly
Reds defender Jamie Carragher channelled the spirit of former Liverpool boss Bill Shankly during his 17-year Anfield career, according to England manager Roy Hodgson.
The centre-back said farewell to the supporters who have cherished his 700-plus performances for the club when he made a final appearance against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.
Hodgson believes that the 35-year-old, alongside Reds captain and close friend Steven Gerrard, embodies everything that Shankly attempted to instil at Anfield.
"I rate him extremely highly. First of all, to play well over 700 games for one club is something which is not going to be seen too often in the future," the ex-Liverpool manager told LFC TV's new 'Carragher' documentary.
"During that time he has won all of the honours that it's possible to win, including England caps, and has really shown himself to be the consummate professional and the consummate Liverpool player.
"He and Steven Gerrard, for me, encapsulate the spirit of Liverpool Football Club and what Liverpool Football Club means to the people of Liverpool.
"If there is a spirit of Shankly or a spirit of Anfield, then it's Jamie Carragher and his good friend Steven."
Asked to expand on the key characteristics and qualities that set the No.23 apart from other players, Hodgson identified his 'determination and dedication' as the vital attributes.
He added: "You can't succeed at the highest level and play at the level he has without being a very good footballer, so he has obviously got lots of very good footballing qualities.
"He's an excellent defender; he's very comfortable with the ball and passes the ball well, and he reads the game extremely well.
"If we come away from that, I would say his major quality is the fact that he's so determined and dedicated to succeed as a professional footballer.
"He's a person who takes his football unbelievably seriously - he thinks about football night and day, he's an encyclopaedia of knowledge about the game, he watches a lot of matches, he studies a lot of matches, and he knows an awful lot about football.
"If ever you're on 'A Question of Sport', Jamie Carragher is the man you want by your side.
"He's succeeded because at an early age he decided: 'I've got enough ability here, I'm going to make myself into a professional footballer.'
"Having achieved the first step - becoming a professional footballer - he's kicked on and decided: 'Right, now I've actually made the grade, I'm going to be one of the best.'"
In the short term, Carragher has confirmed a move into punditry for the 2013-14 season with Sky Sports, although his former club boss hopes management will appear on the horizon.
"Without a shadow of a doubt he's a potential manager or coach," Hodgson insisted.
"You can understand someone like Jamie Carragher maybe saying: 'I don't need that risk, I'll go into television, punditry or some other sphere.'
"But for me personally, I'd like to see Jamie go into football coaching because I think he'll become a very good football coach - especially if he doesn't expect everyone to be as professional in their approach as he is himself!"
A new documentary featuring Jamie Carragher's managers, teammates and some high-profile opponents airs for the first time at 7pm BST on Friday, May 24 on LFC TV. 'Carragher' will also be available on LFC TV Online and will conclude a fortnight of tributes across club media.
