Steven Gerrard admits losing 'the buzz' on Liverpool sidelines

His final Anfield appearance will come on Saturday

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers (left) told Steven Gerrard (right) he was not guaranteed a first-team start (GETTY IMAGES)

Steven Gerrard says he has lost some of the “buzz” of playing since discovering he was to have a restricted role at Liverpool, and that led him to sever ties with the club he has served for 17 years.

Gerrard, for whom Saturday’s match with Crystal Palace will be his Anfield swansong, said that discovering early this season that he would be a less regular starter drove his decision.

“I’m going to come on as a sub and the buzz changes,” he said. “For me, I go to work on a Monday morning and I look forward to Saturday, to prepare to go to battle with some wonderful people – with good mates – and that’s my buzz.

“When a manager gets you into the office and says that’s going to change and it’s going to become more limited – that’s when you make your decision. It’s not a selfish thing; coming on as a sub’s just not the same buzz, so things have changed this year.”

He said at the Liverpool Former Players Association gala dinner that he is looking forward to a life of relative anonymity on the west coast of the United States, where he will continue his career with the LA Galaxy.

“It’s a new adventure and a new challenge,” he said. “I’ve been in the spotlight at Liverpool for 17 years and it’s time to give a bit back to my family. I’ve not been there yet but I’ve heard good things about LA. I’m going to a place the family can enjoy and I can start games.

“You step out of the city [of Liverpool], you breathe for a bit, you enjoy your kids and you go to a place where you are going to enjoy it. I think the league’s going to be good. I can still start games and I can still enjoy it. It’s tough at the moment because time is running out and I’m going to miss it so much. I’ve been coming to Liverpool since I was eight years old. Saturday is going to be the proper goodbye but there’s another game after that [at Stoke] so I need to stay strong.”

Gerrard is desperate to sign off in strong fashion against the side whose second-half comeback in last season’s Selhurst Park fixture finally killed off Liverpool’s title hopes.

“Football is all about highs and lows,” he said. “Since the turn of the year I had a hamstring injury and then there was that stupid tackle against Manchester United when I got sent off. I didn’t want to go out like that. I wanted to go out on a high. I’ll keep giving everything until the very end.”

Gerrard, who turns 35 later this month, urged Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group, who sanctioned nearly £120m of spending last summer, to invest again to fill the void left by his departure. “Hopefully the owners will dig deep so the squad can be strengthened with the quality needed to bring more good times,” Gerrard said.