The ill-feeling surrounding the dynamic midfielder's decision to consider his future may well linger on into next season, but Kirkland feels the 24-year-old England star should be given the full backing of the Anfield faithful as he bids to drive the Reds to glory.
Kirkland said: "I read about the speculation and it looked like Stevie may have been thinking about moving on, but at the end of the day he's a Liverpool lad and I'm not surprised he decided to stay.
"Obviously it's a great boost for everyone that he's staying because he's such a good player. Now I think it's important that people forget about all the speculation over the summer and let him get on with his game.
"He's a big player for us and I'm sure he'll have a big part to play over the course of next season."