Steven Gerrard admits he’s leaving Liverpool early

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Steven Gerrard is gearing up for his final ever Anfield performance, with Liverpool facing Crystal Palace on Saturday evening.

The 34-year-old, who turns 35 at the end of this month, is joining MLS franchise LA Galaxy come the summer, ending his 17 year first-team stint.

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But our skipper has admitted that his departure is coming earlier than he’d once expected…

“It’s happened slightly quicker than I thought it might,” Gerrard began.

“I think 12 months ago when I retired from England I thought maybe I’d do another year at Liverpool after this one.

“Things change, other things crop up and you have to make big decisions.

“I think I’m getting the timing right. I think I’m leaving with people wanting a little tiny bit more from me.

“I’d rather go that way than people trying to push me out of the door and say ‘enough is enough’.

“It’s the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make of course but I’m doing it for the right reasons and I think I’m doing it at the right time.”

Gerrard makes a good point when he refers to leaving us ‘wanting more’. Although he’s no longer the world-class barnstorming box-to-box presence he once was, he’s still our top scorer in the Premier League this season, and has notched in our past two fixtures, versus QPR and Chelsea.

As a result, there’s few who would argue that he’s not part of our best team when everyone’s fit, despite his age and lack of legs.

But our loss is LA Galaxy’s gain – and we can imagine Gerrard will be comfortably among the very best players in MLS.

What’s certain is this: the send-off he can expect on Saturday is going to otherworldly, and thoroughly deserved.

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