Steven Gerrard (picture) might still have been at Liverpool if the club had offered him the chance to shadow Brendan Rodgers and learn about managing a team, the former England skipper said in an interview.

The comments by Gerrard, who joined Los Angeles Galaxy after last season, are at odds with those of Rodgers, who said when the 35-year-old announced his departure that the midfielder was not yet ready for coaching as he was focused on playing.

Gerrard said he would have been willing to accept a reduced role as a squad player or substitute and would not have rejected a new contract from the club if he had been offered a part-time coaching role before he announced he was leaving. “Ability-wise, I could still play but physically I couldn’t play every game at my age,” Gerrard said.

“I didn’t enjoy being sub last season. I didn’t enjoy not knowing if I would be in the 11 or not. Maybe that was selfish of me but I had gone a long time playing every single game.

“I might be contradicting myself here but what would have kept me at Liverpool into this season was the chance of shadowing Brendan Rodgers and his staff as well as playing.

“Those ideas were only mentioned to me after I had announced I was leaving.”