England manager Roy Hodgson has asked Steven Gerrard to stay on as a player and captain as the Liverpool midfielder ponders his international future. Gerrard will take the next few weeks deciding whether to prolong his England career after admitting he was broken by their World Cup elimination. The 34-year-old won his 113th cap in Thursdays 2-1 defeat by Uruguay. He said: The manager has asked me to stay. I spoke to him and said Id need at least three weeks to clear my head. Play media Jump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. Gary Lineker gives his verdict on Englands early exit Gerrard is two appearances short of David Beckhams outfield caps record of 115 in a 14-year international career spanning three World Cups and three European Championships. He must decide whether he feels able to combine renewed Champions League commitments with Liverpool and Englands Euro 2016 qualifiers, starting in Switzerland on 8 September. I will consider it long and hard and speak to the people who will guide me, said Gerrard. The first person who will know is Roy. It was the captains misjudged header that allowed Liverpool team-mate Luis Suarez to score Uruguays late winner in Sao Paulo as England were knocked out of Brazil 2014 after just two group games. The error came almost two months after a slip against Chelsea that led to a defining defeat as Liverpool came up just short in their quest for a first title in 24 years. Key facts Gerrard made his England debut in May 2000 and has won 113 caps He played at Euro 2000, 2004 and 2012 and the 2006 and 2010 World Cups The Liverpool skipper has scored 21 goals for his country He was named permanent England captain by Roy Hodgson in May 2012 Gerrard said it would be wrong for him to make a decision on his England future at such a tough moment and he would grieve and take a break with his family first. He added: In my head, Ive got a mixture of emotions - frustration, pain. The season for Liverpool ended badly for me and the team. I was coming out of that, trying to get some positivity back in the World Cup. This is exactly what I didnt want to happen but Ive faced adversity before, played through it and stayed strong. England conclude their World Cup campaign against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday. Southampton defender Luke Shaw, 18, will start, with 20-year-old Everton midfielder Ross Barkley also set to feature. Play media Jump media playerMedia player helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. England not learning lessons - Waddle Gerrard added: Im more optimistic as an England player and fan now than I was after the Euros two years ago. I think we have got world-class players and I think weve got players with world-class potential. But these tournaments only come around every two years. Were bitterly disappointed. It hurts. Its killing me not to have any positives to speak about. Hodgson, meanwhile, described Englands early exit as the worst moment of his career. The 66-year-old, who retains the full backing of the Football Association, said: I lost a Uefa Cup final at Inter Milan and the Europa League with Fulham - that was pretty tough. And losing the job at Liverpool as well. Ive had other moments but this is England, a job that means so much to me and so many other people, a massive job. So yes, this is the worst.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 06:26:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015