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Steven Gerrard: 'I would have signed new Liverpool deal in summer'

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard refuses to blame the club for failing to offer him a new contract earlier following his decision to leave Anfield.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has refused to point the finger at the club's hierarchy following his decision to leave Anfield at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old retired from international duty in the summer in order to focus his attention solely on Liverpool, but has since decided to end his long association with the club having been told that his playing time would be managed.

Gerrard admitted that he would have signed a contract had it been put in front of him at the start of the season, but refused to blame anyone at the club for dithering over a new deal.

"If a contract had been put in front of me in pre-season I would have signed it. I'd just retired from England to concentrate all my efforts on Liverpool. I didn't want my club games to be tailored," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"My injury record had been fantastic for the past two and a half years and I had a great season from a personal point of view last season. It's all ifs, buts and hindsight now. That period between the summer and the end of November gave me thinking time.

"There's no blame and I'm not angry about it. There are other people in the squad and the club had other things to worry about. There is no finger pointing from me towards the manager or anyone else at the club."

Gerrard, who will move to the MLS when his contract at Anfield expires, is understood to be closing in on a deal with Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Steven Gerrard of Liverpool walks to the bench before the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Sunderland at Anfield on December 6, 2014
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


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