by Lewis Ambrose

His Premier League career as a player is over, but there is surely plenty to come from Steven Gerrard in the future – starting with a move to LA Galaxy.

While he isn’t playing, though, there are plenty of reflections going on surrounding the 17 years he spent in the Liverpool first team which saw him win almost everything in the game. Just the Premier League has evaded the midfielder during his glittering career.

Fired

Speaking to former England teammate Rio Ferdinand for an interview to be shown on BT Sport, Gerrard said that he looked up to Arsenal and Manchester United rivals Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane, even if he sometimes struggled to compete with them as a young midfielder.

“Domestically I was always striving to be in the same league as Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira,” Gerrard told Ferdinand.

Keane and Vieira dominated the Premier League in the late 90s and early 2000s and it is no surprise that Gerrard aimed to reach the same level. As a guy in his early 20s that couldn’t have been easy.

“There were times when they’ve walked all over me,” admitted the former Liverpool captain.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Mixed

“There’s also been times when I’ve come off the pitch and thought I’ve just mixed with two of the best midfielders in the world.”

Without doubt Gerrard went on to huge heights and, even without a Premier League title to his name, eventually replaced Keane and Vieira as the stand out English-based midfielder for his generation.

Now, as he departs, it’s time for a new name to take his place.

Unlike Gerrard and the men he took over from, I don’t think Aaron Ramsey has ever been walked over by his predecessor.