Steven Gerrard declines to discuss contract talks after playing hero

Steven Gerrard was Liverpool's hero in their 3-1 win at
Leicester City but declined to be drawn on whether he will
sign a new contract to secure his Anfield future.
The skipper scored in the 54th minute to put his team ahead
after Adam Lallana had levelled a Simon Mignolet own-goal
following a Leonardo Ulloa strike. Jordan Henderson scored
late on to secure three points.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed earlier this week
that a new deal is on the table for the 34-year-old Gerrard.
"I'll decide when I'm ready," Gerrard told BT Sport when
asked about the negotiations. "There's nothing to say on the
contract at the moment. When there is -- the fans have
known me long enough -- I'll come out and I'll say what I
need to say."
Victory at the Kingpower Stadium continued an improvement
in form for Brendan Rodgers' team following Saturday's 1-0
win against Stoke.
"I think over the last three performances we've been superb
and we need to keep trying to improve on that," said
Gerrard, including last week's 2-2 Champions League draw
with Ludogorets.
"The reason I don't want to answer your questions [on my
contract] tonight is because it's not about me, it's about the
performance and a great three points, and that's what the
headline should be."
Rodgers hailed his captain's performance against Leicester in
his post-match news conference.
"I think you've seen the energy in his legs tonight and his
influence on the game as it wore on. It was an outstanding
performance from Steven and an excellent goal," said
Rodgers.
But Liverpool's manager said he was "not sure" when asked
about Gerrard's contract.
He chose to direct attention to on-field matters, though he was
careful to point out that his captain was comfortable with a
rotation policy that saw him benched against Stoke.
"We spoke again yesterday to confirm we hadn't fallen out
with each other," said Rodgers. "At this stage of his career it's
about the level of the game. He's not 24 anymore -- you have
to do that with players for this time in their career. I have
shown in my time at Liverpool that sentiment doesn't come into
it. It really doesn't."
Gerrard played in a more advanced position than he ended last
season and began this one.
"How I set the team up last year, he was a playmaker behind
the midfield. The reason for that was having three super-quick
players up front," said Rodgers in reference to Luis Suarez,
Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling, whose recent
improvement continued with his setting up Henderson's goal.
"[Gerrard} wasn't a defensive midfielder, he was a
playmaker. We looked at that again this year and we don't
have the same type of game. He can still have a great influence
and we have to pick him in a different position. He looked
fresh in his running tonight and has a natural instinct to get
forward.
"What's important for me is the spirit," Rodgers said.
"Ludogorets was a good performance and the weekend was
good though it was a tight game. We've changed it around
and looked at the mentality of the team going into the games.
"This is a tough place to come," Rodgers said of Leicester,
who stayed bottom of the league after defeat. "They've only
lost once here this season. We go behind in the game and show
the resolve to come back into it. The momentum is very
important. It's small steps but we'll get to where we want to
get to."