Steven Gerrard has been offered a new contract at Anfield despite being on the receiving end of a wave of criticisms, as Liverpool continue to struggle this Premier League season.
The new contract offer was confirmed by manager Brendan Rodgers, who had previously defended his captain against critics, saying that the blame shouldn’t be placed at the feet of the Liverpool veteran. Now Rodgers has stated that the 34-year-old has been offered a renewal of his contract with the Reds, though it is down to Gerrard to decide whether he wants to stay with the club or move onto pastures new.
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Speaking of the possibility that Gerrard will hang up his Liverpool shirt, Rodgers said: “For Steven, for everything that he’s done here in the 16 years here, he’s a man that deserves the utmost respect and should be given that time to consider it, because it’s a big move.”
Rodgers stated that the deciding factor in Gerrard’s future wasn’t money, but rather whether or not he wanted to keep playing at the same level with the same team. Considering that Liverpool is in a rut right now, it would likely be a case of Gerrard either wanting to get out while the ship was sinking, or if he wanted to continue his career in the hope that he may be a talisman in the club’s change of fortunes. Considering he’s only got a few years left in him, though, this seems unlikely.
“He’s been an outstanding player,” Rodger’s concluded. “It’s not so much the number of games that he plays now, it’s the level of the game and that’s something that I’ll work with him and look at.”
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