Steven Gerrard has warned Liverpool he will leave the club if they are unable to match his ambitions.
The England midfielder came close to joining Chelsea last summer but opted to stay. However, he admits he is growing increasingly frustrated at Liverrpool’s failure to challenge for major honours.
“If we’re moving forward and I’m successful at this club then I won’t need to go anywhere else, but if things aren’t looking good I’ll have to see what happens in the summer,” said Gerrard.
“I’m 25 at the end of the season and I think I’ve got six or seven years left in me at the top level to win things, so hopefully the turnaround can happen quite sharpish.
“I’m in a difficult situation because I’m a fan myself, I want to win things at this football club, but I haven’t got time on my side. I can’t really wait three or four years for the club to be turned around and to be made into a title-winning side.
“I’m hoping that will happen from now until the end of the season and that, come the summer, we’ll be in next year’s title race. I’m not giving up now, but look at the table.”
“I wanted to give the best chance to get back involved in the title race, and that’s the reason I decided to stay back in the summer,” added Gerrard, who signed a new four-year contract 13 months.
“I didn’t want to make a quick decision and leave the club in the lurch. I wanted to try and help them turn it around this season.
“It would mean a lot more to me to be successful at Liverpool. Everyone knows that. I’ve supported the club all my life. So hopefully from now until the end of the season the club can show me that they are as ambitious as I am and that we can win trophies together.”
Should Gerrard decide to leave Anfield, there would be no shortage of suitors. As well as interest from Chelsea, Gerrard is coveted by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who regards the midfielder as a possible replacement for his aging skipper Roy Keane.
