Steven Gerrard Press Conference: Key Comments Ahead of Final Liverpool Home Game

Steven Gerrard will stride out at Anfield as a Liverpool player for the final time on Saturday, but he still took time during his press conference before the game against Crystal Palace to encourage Raheem Sterling to sign a new deal with the club.

The winger is stalling on committing his future to the Merseyside team, prompting a flurry of rumours about a potential departure.

But as Gerrard faces up to the prospect of becoming a figure of the club’s past, he pressed the England star to ensure he's a vital fixture of their future, per Tony Barrett of the Times and James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:

Gerrard has an incomparable amount of experience to draw upon and is an emphatic example of the status that can be achieved by showing an unwavering loyalty to a team. With that in mind, he also spoke of the issues that young players such as Sterling face in the modern game:

Nothing will hog the spotlight from Gerrard on Saturday, though. The iconic captain will lead out his boyhood club with "You’ll Never Walk Alone" ringing around his stomping ground one last time, but the midfielder was keen to look toward the next chapter of his career too.

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Gerrard teased the proposition of what might be in store for him after his playing days are over, confirming that he’s already taking his UEFA coaching badges, per Kristian Walsh of the Liverpool Echo:

As noted by Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo, the midfielder also revealed he thinks he has a role to play at the club in the future:

These revelations certainly tie in with Gerrard’s claims that the prospect of managing Liverpool has crossed his mind, although he did insist that’s likely to be a long way down the line, per Kevin Palmer of ESPN FC:

"

Being the manager of this club is probably one of hardest jobs in the world. First and foremost you have to be good enough, got to be prepared for it and got to be offered it.

We will have to wait and see. I don't want to jump into conclusions and create headlines. A lot of things would have to happen from now until then so we will have to wait and see, but it is something I have thought about so maybe one day.

"

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There was also some time for reflection from the Liverpool captain. His Liverpool career has been filled with incredible highs, all given added significance by the fact he’s a local lad living the dream.

Gerrard picked out that iconic evening in Istanbul—when Liverpool recovered from three goals down against AC Milan to win the Champions League—and his hat-trick against city rivals Everton in 2012 as particular highlights:

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The prospect of a Liverpool team beginning a campaign without Gerrard’s snarling influence doesn’t sit quite right for connoisseurs of the English game. Premier League icon Thierry Henry has admitted that it will be strange not having him around, per AudioBoom:

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The former England international also revealed he’s going to do his utmost to rein in any tears when he does say his final farewell to the supporters who have idolised him for so long:

Liverpool have endured a poor campaign, and while many of a red persuasion would have been desperate for Gerrard to sign off with an FA Cup final appearance on his 35th birthday, the acclaim from the Anfield crowd will still be a raw and encapsulating watch.

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The Whiston-born star offered some words of wisdom for those doubting the current setup, though, insisting current boss Brendan Rodgers is the right man to bring the glory days back to this prestigious football institution:

Although Gerrard has long been a picture of steely, unflappable determination during his days in the iconic red jersey, after a remarkable career with the Merseyside club, the prospect of a final Anfield appearance will surely trigger some instinctive emotions from the Liverpool skipper.

But as the midfielder made abundantly clear at his farewell briefing, he feels as though he still has plenty to offer this illustrious club—both as a player in his final two outings and in other roles off the pitch in the years to come.