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It is the line from Steven Gerrard’s interview which has been used as a stick to beat Liverpool FC with.

“Yes, if a contract had been put in front of me in pre-season I would have signed it,” the Reds’ outgoing skipper told the ECHO.

For those supporters upset and angry over the long-serving midfielder’s impending exit it’s been pounced upon as proof that Liverpool failed to do everything they could to keep hold of him.

If owners Fenway Sports Group had waved that 12-month extension under his nose in Boston during the summer tour of the States rather than waited until late November, Gerrard would have committed his future to Liverpool until May 2016.

Hollywood would have had to wait. Kopites would have had their talisman for an extra 12 months.

But what Gerrard said needs to be put into context. It wasn’t a dig at Liverpool and he made that clear in the quotes that followed.

“There’s no blame and I’m not angry about it,” he said.

“There is no finger pointing from me towards the manager or anyone else at the club.

“I enjoy a very strong relationship with Liverpool Football Club and I don’t see that coming to an end. I hope to serve the club again one day.”

He was simply answering the question honestly – a refreshing trait which has always set him apart from those players who hide behind mind-numbing sound bites.

What Gerrard meant was that last July the landscape was very different. He had just retired from international football in order to dedicate himself solely to Liverpool.

Forget the slip against Chelsea and his World Cup heartache with England, Gerrard had enjoyed a stunning season on a personal level. He had played in 34 of the Reds’ 38 Premier League matches and contributed 13 goals and as many assists.

Of course he would have signed last summer. Why wouldn’t he? Gerrard was fit and still the first name on the teamsheet.

But that doesn’t mean he turned down the contract offer which belatedly arrived in late November because he was disillusioned over the delay.

The fact is by then he had been told by Rodgers that his game-time would be managed. He would no longer be a guaranteed starter.

That was the conversation which swung his decision.

If he had put pen to paper in July and then been told by his manager four months later that he would increasingly be rested then chances are he would have regretted signing on the dotted line.

“The idea of becoming a squad player didn’t excite me or motivate me,” Gerrard went on.

“I didn’t want to become a bit-part player. Coming off the bench here and there.

“The buzz for me is playing, contributing and helping the team. When you don’t know if you’re going to be sat in the stands or on the bench it becomes a bit different.

“If I was missing games now, I’d be sitting out even more next season. I knew it would get worse and worse as time went on.”

The debate over why Liverpool waited so long before offering Gerrard a new deal will rumble on.

Questions will be asked every time he showcases his enduring brilliance with a match-winning performance like he produced against AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup on Monday night.

Anfield officials insisted back in November when the contract was tabled that it was always their plan to wait and see how the first half of the season developed before starting talks. Ultimately, that approach gave Gerrard “the thinking time” which led to his exit.

But he’s not bitter about his treatment and insists his strong bond with the club will be unbroken when he heads for LA Galaxy in July.

Just because he would have penned a contract last summer doesn’t mean he wishes he had done now.