Gerrard excited to work with Rodgers

The Merseysiders dispensed with the services of Kenny Dalglish at the end of last season after winning the Carling Cup but finishing in eighth place in the Barclays Premier League.

Rodgers was swiftly installed as his replacement and 32-year-old Gerrard is confident the Ulsterman can make an impact.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the pre-season friendly against Roma at Fenway Park in Boston, he said: "It's an exciting new era for the players.

"We've been looking in from our holidays and hearing what the manager has been saying, what his vision is and what his targets are.

"All we can do is give him our full support and work as hard as we can to make his job easier.

"We had two big cup finals last year - we won one and lost one - and there is certainly a platform there for this team to grow and improve, and with our new manager and coaching staff in place, it's an exciting time.

"I'm really excited to get going again in the new set up."