Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says he will leave Anfield for another club in the summer if he is not offered a new contract.
Gerrard joined the Liverpool academy at the age of nine and has made almost 700 first-team appearances for the Reds but his current deal expires in the summer.
The 34-year-old has played in all of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League games so far this season, which suggests his role at the club remains as important as ever.
But Gerrard has confirmed he would not retire if he is not offered a contract extension in the summer and will sign elsewhere.
“I can only worry about this season because I’m only contracted until May,” Gerrard told the Daily Mail.
“As it stands at the moment, I’m here until the end of the season and want to make the most of it. I certainly won’t be retiring this summer. I will play beyond this season.
“We will have to wait and see if that’s at Liverpool or somewhere else. That’s Liverpool’s decision. If they don’t come then I will see what’s out there.”
Gerrard also defended Liverpool’s purchase of striker Mario Balotelli, a transfer which was described as a ‘panic buy’ by his former Liverpool team-mate and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
Balotelli has only scored twice in 12 appearances and has failed to score in seven Premier League outings but Gerrard believes it was always going to be difficult to follow Luis Suarez at Anfield and that it will take time for the Italian to settle at the club.
“You have to respect Jamie’s opinion,” he said. “He knows football but it’s too early to get on Mario’s back.
“He just needs time to score the goals he needs to prove to people he is worthy of staying here. I am not going to judge him after 10 games.
“To come in after Suarez was always going to be a big ask and he’s not feeling sorry for himself. He is working hard, doing extra shooting sessions.
“I’ve actually been impressed (with) the way he goes about his work. You hear all kinds of stories and rumours before you meet him, but he does all the work. I like the guy.”
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Source: Sky Sports