Steven Gerrard: David Beckham told me to move to LA

Gerrard spoke to the newspaper's Jason Burt two days before his Anfield send-off on Saturday afternoon - a match which ended in a disappointing 3-1 defeat.

But the paper published the interview only on Sunday morning, no doubt at Gerrard's request since several of his answers hint at genuine ambivalence about his 17 years as an icon at Liverpool.

"I can’t wait,” he said, when asked about his feelings ahead of the move to LA.

"Everywhere you go [in Liverpool] you can’t go out the front door without bumping into a Red or a Blue. It is intense, especially for someone like myself," he added.

"So I am looking forward to being able to breathe and play football under a little less pressure and going back to days when maybe before I was in the first team at Liverpool when you really enjoyed your football and there’s not that responsibility and pressure."

Gerrard admitted that he has struggled at times to deal with the scrutiny - no doubt a reference to the Southport bar fracas in 2008, for which he was tried for affray - an offence which carries a potential jail sentence of five years. The Liverpool captain was cleared on the grounds of self-defence.

"It is hard being a Liverpool player and handling yourself off the pitch – being a professional off the pitch," Gerrard added to Burt.

"I am looking forward to less intensity and pressure."

The 34-year-old also explained how, for all his wealth and success, normal family life has been out of his reach.

"It has been very difficult for me with the children doing certain things like swimming lessons, or dancing lessons or going for meals, restaurants or to a coffee shop," he said.

"It will be nice to be able to walk down the street and spend some valuable time with them without being asked a question."

Not that he doesn't understand fans' motives:

"You look at it from a Liverpool point of view. If you are doing well, the fans want to know the reasons why, they want insights off you as to what happens and grab that little bit of you," he said.

"If it’s the opposite, and it’s not going well, they want to know what’s going on, they want to know why, they want to know what’s up with you, why are you not playing well."

But as tough as it is dealing with supporters, dealing with opposing fans is clearly worse:

"Then you have the blue side which is constant, aggressive behaviour towards you at traffic lights, on motorways and everywhere else," he added.

"When you commit yourself to Liverpool Football Club and sign a contract it’s a big challenge. It’s a big challenge on the pitch and certainly a big challenge off the pitch as well.”

All these things came into Gerrard's decision-making process, of course.

But what tipped him over the edge appears to be a nugget of advice from David Beckham, whom he sought out last year after LA Galaxy first made an approach.

"His first couple of sentences to me were, 'Go for it. You will absolutely love it’,” Gerrard said.

"And to hear that from someone who I know, who has got my back and would give me the right advice, who has been there and experienced it, at a bit of a younger age than me.

"He just said to me: 'Look, I have followed your career, I have played with you and I think the timing’s perfect for you and your family.’

“I spoke to him about how I felt at the time, where I was at, I was a Liverpool player, coming in and out of the team, the chats I have had with Brendan [Rodgers].

“I spoke to him [Beckham] about the level [in the MLS], what it was like for families, the lifestyle and I asked him an awful lot of questions. I did the same with Robbie Keane as well.

"Add that to the fact that LA Galaxy were very aggressive in trying to get me, there was no messing about, so all the boxes were ticked as these conversations were happening."