• Premier League

Rodgers: Sentiment will play no part in Gerrard deal

Brendan Rodgers says his desire to keep captain Steven Gerrard at Liverpool is driven by common sense rather than sentiment.

Gerrard's contract expires next June, and he indicated shortly before Saturday's 1-0 Premier League defeat at Newcastle that he would move elsewhere to prolong his playing career if it was not renewed.

Brendan Rodgers says Steven Gerrard continues to be a big player for Liverpool, both on the pitch and in the dressing room © Getty Images

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Rodgers said after the game that he wanted Gerrard, 34, to stay at Anfield with Liverpool set to open talks over a new deal in the next two weeks. Now he has made it clear that Gerrard - who has been a Liverpool first-team player since 1998 - still has plenty to offer on the pitch.

"It's certainly not sentimental. As a manager, you can't afford to do that." Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.

"I just look at his contribution in the two-and-a-half years I've been here.

"When I came in [from Swansea in June 2012], Steven was 32, had struggled with injury, hadn't played consistently over a number of years and I came in and sold him the idea, the philosophy of how we wanted to work and his importance.

"In that period, he's been absolutely outstanding."

Liverpool, who finished second in the Premier League last season, are currently seventh after winning four of their opening 10 matches, and Gerrard's performances have not escaped criticism.

But Rodgers said: "The team maybe hasn't played as well this year and there's been a focus on Steven but he's been absolutely brilliant for me, both on and off the field, as a leader and a captain.

"I want to ensure on this second curve we're on, in terms of the development of this group, that he is very much a part of that. There is certainly no sentiment involved in it.

"You see some of his passes and his influence in the changing room. He is still an outstanding player.

"He will be 35 at the end of this season but he is still fresh, he still looks after himself really well and technically and tactically he is a big player for us. He is the perfect example for our young players to learn from."

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