Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has gone to Saudi Arabia to improve his coaching skills.

The former Rangers and Aston Villa boss is now in charge at Ettifaq FC, having signed his contract on Monday.

Gerrard previously turned down the Saudi club, but appears to have changed his mind weeks later.

"I spoke to him briefly when he was deciding the first time a few weeks ago," Murphy revealed on talkSPORT.

"He refused the job a couple of weeks ago...

"It's ludicrous in some ways to talk about it but he was wanting a football project that he knew he could have some sort of benefit from and actually learn something and actually improve his coaching and get back to work if you like.

"When he turned it down my instinct was that he's gone, 'there's an opportunity over here', which he thinks is going to be better for his long-term managerial career, which would make sense, forget finances.

"Because obviously, if you were to do a great job in the Championship for example and get a promotion, that's going to go on your CV. Whereas if you do well out in Saudi, it's kind of like [it doesn't mean anything], and if you do badly it doesn't really mean anything.

"So, maybe that opportunity didn't materialize, maybe they did just throw more money at it. My understanding of Steven generally is that he wants to succeed in everything he does and although we're all tempted by extra dough, he's got plenty of dough."