Steven Gerrard wants Liverpool fans to recognise the massive influence teammate Jamie Carragher has had on the club.

Writing in 'My Captain's Book', Gerrard singles out his deputy for special praise and insists Carra deserves far more recognition than ever comes his way from the wider footballing world.

"I'm probably biased because he's one of my mates but he's as good as any defender in Europe," said the skipper.

"He's not one of those players who only turn it on in big games - you get 100 per cent effort, commitment and dedication from Carra every time he pulls on the Liverpool shirt, it doesn't matter who we're playing.

"When I think about how important Jamie's been to us I always think back to Istanbul, he was in agony with cramp but he was still throwing himself into tackles and blocking everything that came his way. That's Carra - full of guts.

"I'm always surprised at how little recognition he gets, he deserves to be in teams of the year and certainly should have been in the running for the PFA awards the last couple of years - but the most important thing is that every person at Liverpool, whether it's the players, manager or back-room staff, board or supporters, know just how important he is to our success here.

"I hope we've got a lot more to celebrate together in the years to come."