Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes his captain Steven Gerrard will retire from international football once the 2014 World Cup has finished.
Rodgers believes the 33-year-old will make the decision to retire, so that he can prolong his club career at Anfield and he believes that once Gerrard hits 34, after the Brazil competition, he will think about retiring from his duties.
The Reds captain has been included in the squad to face Chile and Germany in friendlies and if he appears in both of those fixtures, he will become the third highest capped England international.
Despite still being influential in the centre of midfield, Rodgers believes the World Cup is the perfect stage to retire on.
‘I think it’s something he will assess and look at,’ said Rodgers. ‘If you go to a World Cup in Brazil at 34 years of age you might not have many more championships left in you. Very few players do. I can think of (Javier) Zanetti and (Paolo) Maldini who have played on late but it’s rare.
‘Steven is a real talisman for the group. He is a real leader for the team and everyone there,’ said Rodgers. ‘Whether he plays in the two friendlies or not is another matter. There are absolutely times when you can rest him and I think that is important for him.
‘But, for Steven, he probably looks at it as though this is his last international year and after the World Cup that will be all finished and he will have time to rest. He and Roy have a good relationship and I’m sure if he needs a breather in these two games he will get it.’
‘It will be Steven’s decision,’ Rodgers added. ‘But I’m sure in these years now he’ll want to maximise every cap, every performance and every minute on the pitch he can, and that’s what he’s trying to do.’
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
