Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool exit will leave a ‘void’, says Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers has said Liverpool need a strategy for replacing Steven Gerrard and admitted he is under no illusions about the difficulty of filling "the void" created by the club's out-going captain.

The Liverpool manager refused to comment on Gerrard’s admission that he would have signed a contract extension at Anfield had an offer been made last summer instead of November. Liverpool’s captain since 2003 subsequently agreed an 18-month contract with LA Galaxy but Rodgers stated: “There is nothing more to add. Everything has been said on that situation that needs to be said.”

Rodgers’s attempt to draw a line under Liverpool’s handling of Gerrard was a necessity, he explained, given the 34-year-old remains integral to his plans for this season and the task of devising a plan to replace him. Liverpool’s recent track record in that department does not bode well, with Wilfried Bony’s proposed transfer to Manchester City another reminder of their failure to compensate for Luis Suarez’s departure to Barcelona last summer. The Swansea City striker was a target for Rodgers but Liverpool were unable to agree personal terms with the Ivory Coast international, among other things.

Void

“There is no doubt Steven moving on leaves a void on and off the pitch but the club has to keep moving forward to bring in the best players we can,” the Liverpool manager said.

"We need to replace that quality either through some of our young players getting an opportunity or our players stepping up to the mark but also by bringing in that quality. It has been difficult and over the last couple of years some of our top players have gone out, Jamie Carragher in the first year, Pepe Reina and Luis Suarez. For a manager it is very difficult because these players have been outstanding but you need a plan in place to replace that quality. This is Liverpool, we have to be in the running for the world's best."

Transfer targets

Liverpool have missed out on a host of top transfer targets in recent years, including last summer when they were unable to entice

Alexis Sanchez

from Barcelona or conclude a deal for Bony.

However, Rodgers insisted: “We have to believe it can be done. Last summer, after nearly winning the league, qualifying for the Champions League and playing a game that excited people, we were in a great position to attract a level of player. But we have to believe that the status of this club and the idea that the club is moving forward will make players still want to come.”

James Milner is a possible summer target, although Rodgers cautioned: "James is a wonderful player and has always been a talented player but players are consistently linked here through agents to get a better deal at another club." Guardian Service