Friday, January 13, 2012

New Reds Deal For Gerrard

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has signed a contract extension and set his sights on a bright future for the club he loves.

Gerrard has spent his entire career with the Reds and has now put pen to paper on a new deal that commits him to staying at Anfield long-term.

The news comes less than 24 hours after the midfielder helped Liverpool take a 1-0 lead over Manchester City in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.

Gerrard, 31, is delighted to have been given fresh terms and is confident Liverpool can achieve great success before he hangs up his boots.

"I'm very happy," he told the club's official website. "It's a very proud day for myself and my family.

"It comes on the back of a fantastic team performance on Wednesday night when we got the result we were looking for. Hopefully we can finish the job off in two weeks' time and take all of our magnificent fans down to Wembley for a day out.

"The contract extension coming the day after has been the icing on the cake so it has been a perfect 24 hours.

"This is the club I love and is the club I have supported since I was a young boy. I am living the dream as the captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"I love coming to work every day and the experiences I have had since I was eight years of age and first signed for the club, I wouldn't change them for the world.

"To extend that and to hopefully have some more good times in a red shirt is what I want."

Gerrard has been frustrated by injuries in recent times and results that have gone against Liverpool, but he feels all the elements are in place under Kenny Dalglish to bring back the glory days.

"There will be more highs and lows, there's no doubt about it as that's part and parcel of being a football player at a top club," he stated.

"The important thing is that you react well to the lows and experience more of the highs. I'm confident moving forward that the club is going in the right direction.

"We've got a fantastic team, we've got the right owners in place and the right team behind our team, so I'm really confident we'll have more good experiences in the future."

Gerrard has also agreed to take up an ambassadorial role at Liverpool once his illustrious playing career draws to a close.

"It's really flattering for me that the club has offered me the chance to stay when I eventually hang my boots up," he added.

"Hopefully that will be in many years to come because I want to play for as long as I can.

"I'll know myself when it's time to hang my boots up and then hopefully I can stay involved with the club and set the right example for youngsters coming through."

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