Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is delighted to have secured Steven Gerrard to a new deal.

Rodgers is adamant that the two-year deal Gerrard signed last month should not be underestimated.

"I told the club that our biggest signing could be Steven Gerrard as his influence is still at a very high level," said Rodgers. "He had a terrific season last year. The early stages were difficult for him, coming to terms with how I worked and coming back from the European Championships.

"But it's just his hunger to learn and the captain's role he provided for me that was so important. It's vital to have a good lieutenant and he and Jamie Carragher were certainly that for me. Steven has picked up the baton again.

"I just see the quality in his game. He is still, for me, the best passer of a ball in the Premier League. You see some of the passes he hits from all over the field and it's incredible, how he strikes it. I don't see anyone do it like him. He's absolutely phenomenal and very important."