Gerrard hungry for glory

The tough-tackling 23-year-old midfielder is determined to lead the club to a trophy-laden era of glory, but he has caused his legions of supporters fresh anxiety by insisting that he needs to be part of a club regularly competing for the top prizes in football.

Gerrard said: "The most important thing is to finish in the top four and be playing Champions League football next season. "It is up to all the boys now to dig in from now to the end of the season. I am sure we can get that top four finish and do well in the FA Cup."

"I have a contract with Liverpool and I intend to honour that. The most important thing is being successful with Liverpool, and depending on how successful Liverpool are will depend on how long I stay there."