Gerrard shocked at skipper's role
New Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted he was shocked at being handed the captain's armband at Anfield.
The England international took the armband from Sami Hyypia for the first time in Wednesday's comfortable Uefa Cup win over Olimpija Ljubljana and he was thrilled at being given the honour.
"The manager has always said that I would captain Liverpool Football Club one day but it was a bit of a shock yesterday (Wednesday) when Gerard told me I was to be captain from now on. I have to say I'm absolutely thrilled," said Gerrard.
The 23-year-old hopes that his new responsibility will help him become a better player.
"I'm very happy with my form at the moment but in the future I'm sure this role will help me grow as a player," said Gerrard.
"I'm looking forward to the responsibility and I think my game has matured since I first made the breakthrough into the first team.
"I want to blossom into a world class player - something I'm not yet - and hopefully captaining Liverpool will help me achieve that ambition."
Gerrard also revealed that there was no hard feelings between himself and Hyypia
"I spoke to Sami yesterday when the boss told me the news and he congratulated me. There are no hard feelings between Sami and me," added Gerrard.
"He's a great person to have around the club and he was a great captain for this team. He'll still be a leader on the pitch and he'll still lead the team from the back."
