Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has revealed that he is trying not to think of his impending departure from the club as his career in England comes to an end.
The 34-year-old will play his last match at Anfield this Saturday when Crystal Palace travel to Merseyside, with a final-day trip to Stoke City being his swansong for the club.
Gerrard has scored in his last two matches for the Reds, and he insists that he is simply focusing on the upcoming games and training sessions to avoid his emotions bubbling over.
"I think at the moment where I am, with a couple of games left to go, I don't really want to think about it too much. Everyone's talking about it but for me I just want to stay focused on the remaining games and the training and sessions ahead," the former England captain told the club's official website.
"There's plenty of time to be sentimental and emotional after the games are done but I don't really want to listen to supporters being emotional face to face because I'm a little bit afraid of breaking down and showing too much. [Saturday will] be strange, I'm sure it will. It'll be an emotional day for me and my family and friends that have followed me throughout my career.
"And also for a lot of supporters that have watched me for many, many years, not just at the stadium but around the world as well. I'm going to get the attention at the weekend, it's not something I really like, but hopefully I can put in a good performance for the supporters so we can get a win and I can enjoy the send-off that I'm going to get."
Gerrard has made 708 appearances for Liverpool during his 17-year career, scoring 183 goals and winning seven major trophies, including the Champions League in 2005.
Barney Corkhill
