World Cup 2014: Roy Hodgson asks Steven Gerrard to play on
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 Thursday's 2-1 defeat by Uruguay.
He said: "The manager has asked me to stay. I spoke to him and said I'd need at least three weeks to clear my head."
Gerrard will be on the bench for Tuesday's final group game against Costa Rica, with Frank Lampard named captain, although he is expected to play some part.
The Liverpool man is two appearances short of David Beckham's 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 England's 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 captain's misjudged header that allowed Liverpool team-mate Luis Suarez to score Uruguay's 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 |
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Gerrard made his England debut in May 2000 and has won 113 caps |
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He played at Euro 2000, 2004 and 2012 and the 2006 and 2010 World Cups |
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The Liverpool skipper has scored 21 goals for his country |
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He was named permanent England captain by Roy Hodgson in May 2012 |
He added: "In my head, I've 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 didn't want to happen but I've 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.
Gerrard added: "I'm 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 we've got players with world-class potential. But these tournaments only come around every two years.
"We're bitterly disappointed. It hurts. It's killing me not to have any positives to speak about."
Hodgson, meanwhile, described England's 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.
"I've 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."
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