Gerrard rules out retirement

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has no intention of retiring as an England player after this summer's European Championship.

The 31-year-old will skipper England in Poland and Ukraine with some suggesting it could be his last major tournament for his country. Gerrard, though, would like to continue until the next World Cup in Brazil after denying that he was set to focus on leading Liverpool after an injury-plagued season. "I can understand that at my age people are going to start questioning me and asking me if I'm going to quit England and focus on Liverpool, but I don't see it like that," he told the Daily Mirror. "I don't think I have a decision to make. I love playing for England, I love playing for Liverpool. "I think it's going to be a case of let's see how I perform in this tournament. Let's see if first and foremost I have a future with this manager if he's keen for me to stay about. "If the manager says to me at the start of next season that he thinks I did well in the tournament, that he wants me to stick about, that he can protect me, not overuse me and that I have a big part to play, I'm sure I will carry on."