Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard says that he will move to another club next summer if he is not offered a new contract at Anfield.
The 34-year-old midfielder, who has made 482 appearances for the Reds in the Premier League since making his debut in the 1998/99 season, is out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season and Liverpool have not offered him a new deal due yet.
There were speculations of the former England captain, who announced his retirement from international football after the 2014 World Cup, hanging up his boots after the end of this campaign.
But, Gerrard, who has featured in all of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League games so far this season, insists that he has no plans of retiring, indicating that he may move to a different club if the Merseysiders fail to offer him a new deal.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Gerrard has also defended Liverpool’s signing of Mario Balotelli following recent remarks from former Reds defender and a good friend of Gerrard’s Jamie Carragher, who indicated that the Merseyside club had bought the Italian striker as a last resort.
The Reds’ summer acquisition of Balotelli from AC Milan for a transfer fee of £16 million has been subject to a lot of criticism as the former Manchester City striker has been disappointing this season, failing to score a single goal in the Premier League.
However, Gerrard feels that Balotelli is a good signing and will start firing for the Reds once he settles in.
“You have to respect Jamie’s opinion,” the midfielder told Sky Sports. “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.”
Gerrard feels that it will be difficult for any striker to immediately emulate the scoring form of Suarez in the last two seasons.
“To come in after Suarez was always going to be a big ask and he’s not feeling sorry for himself,” said the former England captain.
“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.”
Source: IBTimes