Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard admits being dropped by Brendan Rodgers convinced him he had to leave.

Gerrard left his boyhood club at the end of last season after 17 years and over 500 appearances to join MLS side LA Galaxy.

He told Eurosport: "It was simple: I didn't want to compete against Liverpool. Liverpool is my team, the team that I love, the team that I will always support for the rest of my life.

"And I was at that stage at that age where the manager, Brendan Rodgers, was playing me less and less; I was missing big games on the bench.

"That's not what I enjoy – it's not the Steven Gerrard I want to be – so I thought the time was right to try something new, something different."