While everyone at Liverpool’s focus is squarely on this weekend’s meeting with Chelsea, long-serving Reds skipper Steven Gerrard is looking a little further into the future with his last match at Anfield before leaving the club he’s served since his days as a schoolboy just around the corner.
“I’ve got mixed emotions about it right now. It’s exciting to know I will be trying something different, playing in another league and getting to see a lot of a great country like America. At the same time, I’m emotional and I know these final few weeks will be tough. It’s going to be difficult to let go,” admitted the 34-year old. “My relationship with Liverpool doesn’t end though. I’m hoping I’ll return to the club in some capacity one day. If that’s not to be, then I’ll always come back as a supporter. “I just don’t know what is going to happen after my last game at Anfield against Crystal Palace. All I know is it will be a hugely emotional day for me when my Liverpool career comes to an end after so long.”
Although no is is ruling out a return to the club during the MLS off-season, for the time being anyway, Gerrard will play his last match in front of the Kop when the Eagles visit next weekend — something that will be both an incredibly sad experience, but also a relief for the Captain.
“I wake up every day wanting success just as much as the fans, I’ve been that way for an awful long time and it’s been a privilege to captain our club. I’ve loved wearing the armband. At the same time, it will be nice to step away from that intensity and take a deep breath, I’ll be able to go and enjoy the remaining years of my career without that same level of pressure,” he continued. “I’m coming up to the age of 35 now and I’m in the fortunate position where I can give my family a completely new experience. I can withdraw from Liverpool FC for a while and look in on it. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity.”
