Steven Gerrard says he told Luis Suarez that the striker was 'too good' for Arsenal

The Uruguayan was subject to a bid from the Gunners last summer

Steven Gerrard celebrates with Luis Suarez (Getty Images)

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard told Luis Suarez last summer that the striker was "too good" for Arsenal, and to wait for an approach from Real Madrid or Barcelona.

The Uruguayan was subject to a £40m plus £1 bid from the Gunners at the end of the 2013/14 season, but the former England midfielder says that he had a conversation with Suarez then and told him "not to go" to Arsenal, as if he had a successful season then one of the La Liga giants would come in for him the following summer.

Gerrard proved to be correct - Suarez scored 37 goals for Liverpool in all competitions last season and signed for Barcelona for £75m last month, despite his four-month ban for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup.

"Last summer when he was out in the cold and training on his own that’s the conversation I had with him. I said, 'Don’t go to Arsenal’.

"I would have been really sad and disappointed to see Luis go to Arsenal. With all due respect to them, I said to him that he was too good for Arsenal. I said if you score 30 goals for us and win the PFA Player of the Year, the press Player of the Year – I knew he was going to win them – I told him Real or Barcelona will come for you.

"I think he got the wrong advice last year from people around him, from people saying he needed to play in the Champions League and it did not matter who it was for.

"I have experience of the Spanish clubs myself and I know if you play well they will come back and come back. I knew they’d be back for him as well.

"I just thought for his own sake, to get respect off the Liverpool fans, he had to give us at least one year. A lot of people might still think he should have given us one more, but my big dream was to play for Liverpool, and the foreign players’ big dream is to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona, that’s a fact."

Gerrard has also claimed that Liverpool would be the favourites for the Premier League title if they still had Suarez. The Reds finished second last season, two points behind Manchester City.

"I believe if we had Suarez we'd be favourites," he said. "I'm disappointed to see him leave now but I am happy for him that’s he has got what he wants and deserves. Since day one he has been phenomenal in training every day and in the games."