• Premier League

Liverpool 'perfect' for Sterling, says Gerrard

Steven Gerrard has told Raheem Sterling that there is no better club for him than Liverpool.

Sterling, in a new striker role, ended a run of 17 games without a goal when he scored twice in the 3-1 League Cup win over Bournemouth on Wednesday, but is yet to commit to the club.

The 20-year-old's current deal runs out in 2017 and the Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are reported to be monitoring the situation after the original offer of £70,000-a-week offer was rejected by Sterling's representatives.

Raheem Sterling scored twice on Wednesday © Getty Images

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Manager Brendan Rodgers compared Sterling to in-form Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez after the League Cup win, and captain Gerrard said: "I hope he signs a new contract because I think this club is perfect for him - certainly for the next few years.

"He's going to play most weeks, the fans love him here. He can progress here and become a top, top player here so I hope the people around him give him the right advice because he should stay.

"He's great to watch, great to play with, he's got that pace. When you look up he's always giving you an option and that's what I've thrived on throughout my career at Liverpool with the likes of Fernando Torres, Michael Owen.

"There's nothing better as a midfielder when you look up and see pace running in behind. I saw it on numerous occasions [against Bournemouth] and hopefully it will continue because it stretches teams and creates chances."

Sterling showed off his new cropped haircut at Bournemouth, and Gerrard joked that "no one recognised him when he came in". The Liverpool captain added: "He's knocked about ten years off with that haircut!"

But it is not just the forward's hair that has a new look: the 20-year-old has had to regularly present a different image of himself as a player by carrying out different roles for Rodgers.

"You've got to be able to have that [versatility] in your locker if you want to be top drawer," said Gerrard. "Raheem's got potential to be top drawer for sure. He took a lot of stick after the weekend [the loss to Manchester United] but I thought his all-round performance was magnificent, the only thing that was missing was a finish and that came [against Bournemouth].

"The exciting thing for all of us is that he's English and going to be a top, top player. I think he can play anywhere along the front, he's that intelligent [but] he's got to keep learning, he's got to keep wanting it."

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