Steven Gerrard is itching to lead Liverpool into the new Premier League campaign after reaffirming his commitment to the club.
Liverpool's captain effectively ended all talk about his future yesterday morning when he declared that he was very impressed by Roy Hodgson's plans for the club.
The story, which attracted a huge amount of hits on the ECHO'S website when it was published, increased the feelgood factor among fans, who have been buoyed by the arrival of Joe Cole.
Gerrard can't wait to link-up with his England teammate and believes Cole will give Liverpool's attack an extra dimension.
“It's a great signing for us,” Gerrard enthused.
“I know Joe well through the England set-up and have seen first hand just how good a player he is. He's proved his ability over many years in the Premier League, sometimes against us – so it will be fantastic to play alongside him in a red shirt for Liverpool.”
Fears had been mounting that Gerrard would seek pastures new this summer and Real Madrid were strongly linked with a £30m move for him.
Worries were increased when the respected Spanish newspaper Marca published a three-page feature on Gerrard on June 2 and used mocked up images on him in Real's famous all white kit.
When Marca run a story like that – the translated headline was ‘Gerrard: Hot! Hot!’ – it is usually a sign that Real expect to land their man but, following the signing of Germany international Sami Khedira, the trail went cold.
For his part, it is important to stress that never at any stage did Gerrard insist he was actively seeking a move away from Anfield – he simply stated before going to South Africa with England that he might have to consider his options. But once the World Cup finals were out of the way, Gerrard took the opportunity to clear his mind and enjoy a break with his wife, Alex, and their children in the Mediterranean.
Prior to that, he had a long and frank discussion with Roy Hodgson on the day he was unveiled as Liverpool's new manager and his plans for the future and those talks tipped the balance.
“I made it clear that I simply needed to concentrate on the World Cup and then have a decent holiday with my family,” said Gerrard, who has made 532 appearances for Liverpool.
“I wanted the chance to meet Roy Hodgson privately and having done so I'm very impressed with his plans for the future of the team. I've only returned to training today at Melwood with some of the other World Cup players, but I can't wait for the new season to start.”
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