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Gerrard plan to retirement in order to focus on Liverpool

Steven Gerrard revealed for the first time last night that he may have to sacrifice England after Euro 2012 this summer to prolong his Liverpool career.



And the Kop idol - who leads Liverpool out at Wembley today in the Carling Cup Final against Cardiff - admitted choosing between club and country will be one of the toughest decisions of his life.



After a two-year injury hell recovering from serious groin and ankle problems Gerrard - 32 in May - knows he faces an agonising choice as he tries to balance his long-term career prospects at Liverpool with a burning desire to keep playing for the Three Lions.



And he's confessed, that although he's fit, he's already spoken with his surgeon and key medical staff about the future and how much stress he can continue to inflict on his body.



In a startlingly frank admission about his England career Gerrard said: "It's something I am going to have to sit down and think about after the Euros this summer.



"I've not spoken to anybody about it yet, nor have I made any decision about what I might do because there are a lot of things to consider.



"I'm just fully focused on doing as well as I can for Liverpool this season and then playing in the Euros for England. After that we will see what happens.



"First and foremost is that I love playing for England and to captain your country is the pinnacle for any player so that makes me proud.



"And I want to make this clear, when I do decide to stop playing international football it would never be because I don't want to play for my country - it would never be because of that.



"But I am aware of the future, the injuries I've had and I want to play for Liverpool as long as I can. I also know that there are quite a few players who have stopped playing international football to prolong their club careers and it's helped them to do that.



"I can understand why people might think that kind of a decision is approaching and I've spoken to my surgeon and the medical people but, like I say, I've not made any decisions because there is no need yet."



Having captained England at the ill-fated 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa, Gerrard is expected to be named captain again by stand-in boss Stuart Pearce for the friendly with Holland on Wednesday.



That will take his international caps to 90 - just 10 short of the magic ton. Only five other players have ever burst through the 100-cap barrier - Peter Shilton, David Beckham, Bobby Moore, Sir Bobby Charlton and Billy Wright - and Gerrard admits that could be a factor in his decision.



He said: "I'm on 89 caps at the moment so, if I'm fit and playing, with some friendly games to come and a decent tournament at the Euros I could be in the mid-90s by the end of the summer.



"That would put me close to 100 caps which is an incredible milestone for any player.



"But that's out of my hands.



It also depends on whether the new manager, whether it's Harry Redknapp or someone else, would want me after the Euros."



There's little doubt Redknapp, if he gets the job, would want Gerrard as a key component of the England squad. And, if Redknapp would consider Paul Scholes for the Euros at 37 - as he's stated he would - it's a certainty he'd want Gerrard at 32.



Redknapp would surely envisage a leading role for Gerrard in helping England's new breed of midfielders like Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverley qualify for the next World Cup in Brazil. That qualifying campaign begins in early September with an away game in Moldova, but Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool fans wouldn't be too distraught if, by then, Gerrard calls time on his international career. Liverpool are moving into an encouraging new era under supportive new owners, the Fenway Sports Group. With one cup final appearance in the bag and another in the FA Cup still a possibility, Anfield is emerging from a disastrous chapter in its history.



Gerrard wants to be a part of that future. And having seen stars like Scholes and 38-year-old Ryan Giggs prolong lucrative careers and still play a part influencing Manchester United on the pitch, he understands the value of not playing on the international stage too much longer.



The Kop star was the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 2009 but since then he has had two groin operations which saw him play just 24 games last season.



A reoccurrence of the injury at the end of last season saw him miss the early part of this term and just when he appeared fit again he was struck down with an ankle infection which kept him out another two months.



It's against that backdrop that Gerrard will weigh up his future career path after the Euros. But if he decides to quit, Redknapp - or whoever the next England manager may be - won't let him go without a fight.



We Ken be heroes ...



Great Scots! One of the two Kennys - Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish (left) or Cardiff striker Kenny Miller (right) - will be the toast of Wembley today. See our fantastic eight-page Carling Cup final pullout in the middle of the paper ...



'All eyes will be on Bellamy and he's the kind of character who thrives on that' STAN COLLYMORE'S PLAYER-BY-PLAYER GUIDE TO FINALISTS

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