Liverpool's resentment at England's treatment of Steven Gerrard was confirmed yesterday when Rafael Benítez insisted the Football Association should apologise for doubting the club's word on the injured midfielder.
Gerrard misses Fulham's visit to Anfield this afternoon with the muscle tear he sustained at Bolton last weekend and which developed into an international incident when he subsequently withdrew from the England squad to face Germany in Berlin. Despite undergoing a scan after the Bolton game, and Liverpool informing the FA on Saturday evening that Gerrard would be unavailable to Fabio Capello, the midfielder was summoned to England's Hertfordshire base on Sunday for a scan that confirmed the diagnosis of the Liverpool club doctor, Mark Waller. Waller also happens to work for the FA in his role as the England Under-21 team's doctor.
Gerrard missed a day's treatment as a result of the eight-hour, 400-mile round trip, and while Benítez insists he has no personal issue with Capello there is disquiet at Liverpool over the FA's instant demand to assess the midfielder and, by implication, to question Waller's opinion. Not every England player who pulled out of the Germany squad was required to visit the FA's medical staff but Gerrard, who underwent a groin operation when England faced Andorra and Croatia in September and made a substitute appearance against Manchester United in Liverpool's next fixture, was called along with Chelsea's Frank Lampard.
"Stevie is not fit to play against Fulham," said Benítez. "That means someone at the FA has made a massive mistake. It would be nice if someone rang to apologise, but I'm not expecting a call. He may have a chance to play in the Champions League [against Marseille] next week. He's working hard with the physios and I have the feeling he'll be OK for Wednesday."
Benítez, who spoke to Capello about Gerrard on the Saturday evening, added: "There is no problem between me and Fabio Capello, I am not unhappy with him. But the best news for me now is that there are no internationals until March."
Even better news for the Liverpool manager came from Gerrard himself. The 28-year-old celebrates the 10th anniversary of his Liverpool debut next week, and admits he wants to sign a new contract when his current deal ends and intends stay at the club for the rest of his career.
"I do not know what is going to happen over the next 10 years but certainly for the next five or six I hope I am playing in Liverpool's first team," he said. "I have two and a half years left on my contract and hopefully I will sign another one and stay for the remainder of my career.
"The last 10 years have been the best of my life. I have lived the dream doing something I have always wanted to do."
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