Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says Steven Gerrard is much more than a club legend.

Gerrard will leave when the current Barclays Premier League season ends after opting not to renew his contract at Anfield.

"It is almost an impossible task to find the words to appropriately sum up Steven Gerrard and his importance to Liverpool," Rodgers told the club's official website.

"This is an era where the word "legend" is vastly overused, but in his case it actually doesn't do him justice.

"From a personal point of view I will always have gratitude for the support he gave me, when I arrived here as manager.

"Steven came to see me and promised he would be 100 per cent behind me and do everything he could to help as we looked to introduce new ideas and a new way of working. He wasn't just true to his word, he vastly exceeded it."