Although it is yet to be signed, it is understood that the contract in principle has been agreed which will keep Rodgers on Merseyside until at least 2018. Unlike the four-year deal he signed on joining Liverpool from Swansea City two years ago, the final year of this one is not “optional” depending on his performance. The removal of that safeguard is a symbolic acknowledgement that John W Henry knows he appointed the right man and wants him to lead the club into a prolonged new era.