You'll Never Walk Alone

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has told the club he wants to sign a new contract when his current deal ends and intends stay at the club for the rest of his career.

Gerrard made the announcement as he approaches the 10-year anniversary of his Liverpool debut next week.

Currently injured with a groin muscle tear and out of Saturday's home league match with Fulham, Gerrard's comments come on the same day as manager Rafael Benitez tipped the 28 year-old as the man who could one day replace him as manager.

Gerrard is back in light training and battling to be fit for Wednesday's Champions League home clash with Marseille but his clear indication he never wants to leave Anfield will delight the club's fans.

"I do not know what is going to happen over the next 10 years but certainly for the next five or six I hope I am playing in Liverpool's first team," he said.

"I have two and a half years left on my contract and hopefully I will sign another one and stay for the remainder of my career.

"We will have to wait and see about management but I certainly want to get my qualifications to enable me to coach and manage. Then I will have to decide what I want to do."

He added: "Whether I will be interested in the Gary Ablett (reserve coach) type role, the Sammy Lee (assistant manager) role or the Rafa Benitez role, I do not know.

"I just want to get all my badges and then we will see. But I have a lot more football to play before we get to that stage and that is what I want to focus on at the moment.

"All I can say at this stage is the last 10 years have been the best of my life. I have lived the dream doing something I have always wanted to do and if my working life carries on being with Liverpool then I will be very happy."

On his 10 years in the first team, Gerrard, speaking in a liverpoolfc.tv interview, said: "It is hard to believe I have been in the first team for so long because the time has just flown by.

"I am very proud to be able to say I have played for the first team for 10 years. If someone had said all those years ago that I would go on to be captain and lift the European Cup, then I wouldn't have believed them.

"But I have had to work very hard to get to where I am and to win trophies both on a personal level and as part of the team.

"Looking back, I have had some unbelievable highs playing for this team but I have had some lows as well. It is the lows that have helped drive me on.

"It is disappointing to lose games or to be sent off, but those experiences have helped me achieve the highs."