Stevie on Jordan, injury and future

Liverpool tied up the transfer of the 20-year-old from Sunderland on Thursday evening and Gerrard, who played with the midfielder for England last November, feels he will have a lot to offer long term at Anfield.

He said: "It's a really positive signing. Let's hope he is the next Steven Gerrard. That's what good football clubs do - they replace their best players. Liverpool needs a new Steven Gerrard and it will need a new Jamie Carragher.

"I saw Jordan at first hand for two or three days with England and he is a good player with energy."

Gerrard will be competing with Henderson for a midfield berth in the new season.

The captain hasn't kicked a ball for Liverpool since the 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Anfield on March 6 after undergoing surgery on a groin problem.

However, Gerrard has worked assiduously in his rehabilitation and is convinced he will start the new campaign in the best condition he has been in for several years.

He said: "I have confidence in what I can do. I am going to be in the best condition physically going into this season that I have been for the last 10 years.

"I am working doubly hard on my body, on my core and on strengthening my groin, which I have suffered with.

"The operation went well and I have nearly double the strength in the groin now than before. The physios at Liverpool are measuring that on a weekly basis and the results show that.

"I know I will be rusty in friendlies but I have confidence that I am going to be the freshest I have been, both mentally and physically, for a long, long time."

Gerrard was thought to be on the verge of a first-team return in early April before he suffered a setback in training and subsequently a decision was made for him to go under the knife in a bid to cure the problem.

And while many players will be enjoying some time to relax following a long season, the No.8 will continue his recovery work over the summer to ensure he's firing on all cylinders come the start of pre-season training and beyond.

"For two or three hours each day I will have to work on my body to make sure I am right," he said. "But I don't see that as a chore. This is me getting right for Liverpool Football Club.

"I have started doing yoga a couple of times a week as well. It absolutely wipes you out. People who think you turn up and you're just posing in different shapes should have a go!

"I am enjoying it after the sessions because I am feeling the benefits. That is part of the reason why my groin feels so good just now.

"I've not kicked a ball for a long time, probably the longest I have gone in my career, and I can't wait to get back now.

"I am excited about playing under Kenny Dalglish, just like the team did at the end of the season, which was going forward. We were playing with bottle and character and going all out to beat teams. And that always suits my style of playing."

Gerrard continued: "All the work I am putting in now is to make sure I'm in the best condition going into the season and then extending my career at Liverpool beyond the two years I've got left on my contract.

"Being on the outside for two months has allowed me to look at the club in a different way because you're not caught up in the day-to-day goings on so much. Kenny's done really well, Steve Clarke's been great and the structure of the club is all in place. I'm super-excited about the future."

In Gerrard's absence, Liverpool maintained their impressive resurgence under Dalglish's stewardship - and the skipper was particularly delighted with the form of January acquisition Luis Suarez.

"You know within two or three days of training with someone what they are going to be like - Luis has got it," he said. "He's a winner and a fighter.

"Everyone is talking about his skills and rightly so, but I like the other side of him, too. I remember in the Fulham game when we won 5-2, it was the 93rd minute and he wasn't happy that we weren't given a handball. That sums him up."

Liverpool's form without Gerrard helped dispel the 'one-man-team' claims that have been perpetuated in some quarters down the years - but it was a view the 31-year-old never subscribed to personally.

"I never believed that anyway because in 2005 (Champions League final) when we won the biggest trophy, and I had the best night of my life, we had 14 absolute heroes on the pitch," he said.

"Don't forget Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who turned the Olympiakos game in the group stage that year or we would have been out.

"Of course there have been times when I have stood out, but there have been plenty of times when I have looked to my team-mates to help me.

"If that 'one-man-team' thing never gets mentioned again that's great as it means the team is doing well."

Having found themselves 12th in the table when Dalglish returned, the Reds fell narrowly short of securing Europa League qualification after suffering defeats in their final two matches to Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Gerrard reflected: "Sometimes it is important to stay grounded and have a little reality check. The last two results will help next season because it sends a message to players and fans that we are not the finished article. There is still an awful lot of hard work left. But we don't mind that."

Gerrard watched Liverpool's final day defeat at Aston Villa at close quarters, opting to take a seat amongst the travelling Kop at Villa Park - much to the delight of the supporters sat around him.

It was an experience he relished.

"I was a fan for a day," recalled Gerrard. "Carra had done it a few years ago and I'd had a few letters saying I should go to an away game.

"It was an eye-opener for me to get in among them. For a young player in our squad, or maybe one of the foreign lads, to have a day like that would really help them.

"Fans absolutely adore the players. Everything is about the players for them, so for a player to give up a day, mix with the fans and give a little back...well, there's no harm in that.

"I am not putting pressure on anyone, but it is important for the players to have that link with the fans. If this club is going to be successful, everybody needs to stick together."

Gerrard added: "There was a bit of banter flying around. Stuff like, 'You won't get back in the team, Stevie' and 'You've got a fight on next season, Gerrard, to get past Lucas and Spearo (Jay Spearing)'.

"It was all good natured. But I don't mind all that. I know what I can do and I know the challenge ahead for me. I welcome all that. Right now, I'm just steaming for a game of football again."