Less than 48 hours earlier, Steven Gerrard had revealed that he was retiring from international football. After 114 caps he felt he owed it to Liverpool to give them his undivided attention. So Rodgers was asked how he saw Gerrard’s future.
‘I am very happy that Steven is going to commit to Liverpool and I am sure that (his contract) is something we will look at,’ said Rodgers. ‘I know he can continue to play beyond this season. I have always said that.
A lot has been made of Gerrard’s form this season but it hasn’t been anything like some have made it out to be. He is Liverpool’s joint-leading scorer and has played every minute of every Barclays Premier League and Champions League game.
If Gerrard were to come on the market, there would be many courting him. Clubs in America, for example, and the Middle East. More than that, though, how many Champions League managers would take the chance to let their interest be known?
The rampaging box-to-box bursts of his youth may have been phased out but the way Gerrard passes and strikes a ball remain as sweet as ever. There will come a day when he no longer wears Liverpool red, but that should not be next season.
And it is not just about what he does on a match day.
‘Steven is a brilliant role model for me,’ said Jordan Rossiter, one of the brightest hopes at Liverpool’s academy. ‘Just watching him train helps me loads.’
Gerrard continues to set an example, to lead the club. There has been talk of him becoming an ambassador when he retires but he has been doing ambassadorial work for Liverpool throughout his career.
Last week, his programme notes against Hull City signed off with a mention that his cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley, one of the 96 who lost their lives at Hillsborough, would have been 36. ‘He and they are never far from our thoughts,’ Gerrard wrote.
Since Jamie Carragher retired, Gerrard has been the link between the pitch and the terraces.
That Liverpool’s owners have let it get to this point suggests they do not quite appreciate Gerrard’s importance to this club. Allowing the situation to drift has been ham-fisted, and not telling the club captain of their plans lacks courtesy.
Clubs tend to take older players for granted. Think of Chelsea with Frank Lampard, Manchester United with Rio Ferdinand.
Yes, it makes business sense not to offer those in their 30s long-term deals but it does not mean they should be cast to one side and dealt with last.
Of course, all this may be resolved before the new year but the dithering has resulted in Gerrard raising the prospect that he may play elsewhere next season. It should not have come to this.
No comments:
Post a Comment