"I don't think I would have been able to live with myself if I'd gone and regretted it," he told The Times.

Gerrard expects Chelsea to be involved in the title race, even though they have lost Jose Mourinho, a man he cannot help admiring.

"We used to look out for what he'd say in the interviews," Gerrard says. "We might not like it, but he was a great character. I hope he comes back. Chelsea have too much power not to be involved, but we have to just think about ourselves, about putting Liverpool right up there in contention."