Gerrard closes Barton row chapter

STEVEN GERRARD has dismissed reports of a rift with Joey Barton and insisted his fellow Merseysider is “my type of player”.

Barton hit the headlines recently when he criticised the number of England stars who cashed in on a dismal World Cup performance by releasing lucrative autobiographies.

The Manchester City midfielder then went even further, questioning whether the likes of Gerrard and Frank Lampard had the same work ethic as he did after revealing he had risen at 6am on holiday to go running.