Gerrard: I’ll see out career at Liverpool

STEVEN GERRARD has told Liverpool he wants to sign a new contract when his current deal ends and intends to stay at the club for the rest of his career.

Gerrard made the announcement as he approaches the 10-year anniversary of his Liverpool debut next week.

Currently injured with a groin muscle tear and out of today’s home league match with Fulham, Gerrard’s comments come on the same day as manager Rafael Benitez tipped the 28-year-old as the man who could one day replace him as manager.

Gerrard is back in light training and battling to be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Marseille.

“I do not know what is going to happen over the next 10 years but certainly for the next five or six I hope I am playing in Liverpool’s first team,” he said.

“I have two and a half years left on my contract and hopefully I will sign another one and stay for the remainder of my career. We will have to wait and see about management but I certainly want to get my qualifications to enable me to coach and manage. Then I will have to decide what I want to do.”

He added: “Whether I will be interested in the Gary Ablett (reserve coach) type role, the Sammy Lee (assistant manager) role or the Rafa Benitez role, I do not know.

“I just want to get all my badges and then we will see. But I have a lot more football to play before we get to that stage and that is what I want to focus on at the moment.

“All I can say at this stage is the last 10 years have been the best of my life. I have lived the dream doing something I have always wanted to do and if my working life carries on being with Liverpool then I will be very happy. It is hard to believe I have been in the first team for so long because the time has just flown by.

“I am very proud to be able to say I have played for the first team for 10 years. If someone had said all those years ago that I would go on to be captain and lift the European Cup, then I wouldn’t have believed them.

Meanwhile, the fall-out from the club’s row with England over Gerrard’s fitness clouded Benitez’ suggestion he will one day take over from him as manager.

Gerrard was forced to drive to Watford last Sunday to join the England squad and have his torn groin muscle assessed by coach Fabio Capello’s medical experts.

Privately, Liverpool felt their honesty was being doubted and they are annoyed he missed out on a day of treatment that may have meant he could have faced Fulham.

Benitez said: “It is simple. He is not fit and he cannot play. Maybe he’ll be ready for Marseille. We know the rules and respect them. But I prefer now not to think of this because there are no more internationals for a while. But we were right.

“There’s no problem between me and Fabio Capello, I am not unhappy with him. But the best news now is that there are no internationals until March.

“Were we unhappy that Steven had to go to the England hotel? All I can say is that he is not fit and will not play for us against Fulham.’’

And Benitez’s respect for Gerrard is clear, with him adding: “Everyone can see how good he is on the pitch. Maybe he will be here for another 10 years, certainly five or six. I am really pleased to have kept Gerrard here, and maybe he will one day be the manager to replace me. There are more important things than money in Steven’s mind. He has great passion for the club.”