Rodgers hints at new Gerrard deal until 2016
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, May 4, 2014
Liverpool will offer captain Steven Gerrard a new contract at the end of the season to keep him at Anfield until at least 2016, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.
The 33-year-old midfielder, whose current contract expires at the end of next season, has played a major role in the club's drive towards a first English League title since 1990. "Steven will be one we look to get a contract to in the summer," Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.
"With a year to go, it's something we will address. I believe Steven will play beyond 2015. He is a player who has really shown his qualities this season.
"Come the summer, he will still only be 34. Looking towards the future, I still think he's going to be a key part of our squad."
Liverpool has been Gerrard's only professional club and for most of his 16-season career, he has been its best player with his ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck with a surging run into the box or a thunderbolt strike from range.
This season, however, Rodgers has used him in a deeper role, allowing him to mastermind play from in front of the defense and help unleash Liverpool's pacey and potent strikeforce.
"He has dropped into a new position and played it seamlessly. His intelligence in the game is second to none. He is improving all the time," Rodgers added.
Rodgers said everyone at the club had felt empathy for Gerrard after his slip in the crunch match against Chelsea last weekend helped the Londoners to a 0-2 win that blew open the title race.
And Liverpool will be looking to keep its title hopes alive in its penultimate match of the season against Crystal Palace tomorrow.
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