Liverpool winger wants to stay

Liverpool midfielder Stewart Downing says he wants to stay at the club, despite being told he could leave earlier in the season by manager Brendan Rodgers.

Downing Celebrates

Downing enjoyed a resurgance of form with a regular starting position in the first team during the second half of the season.

Now the former Middlesbrough and Aston Villa winger hopes he has done enough to secure a future at Anfield.

He told BBC Radio Merseyside and is quoted on Football365 as saying, “Me and the manager have always had open conversations and I found it difficult at the start of the season because I didn’t play, it wasn’t that I wasn’t playing well.

“Once I got in the team and had a run of games my form picked up and I think the team got better and better and we’ve had some good results, especially after Christmas.

“There have been some positive signs and personally I’d like to stay but that is the manager’s decision.”

With two games left to play this campaign, Liverpool are hoping for a final flourish of form – playing away at Fulham this Sunday and at home to QPR on the final day of the season, May 19th.

Either way, Rodgers has indicated he still wants to bring in some new faces to the squad in this summer’s transfer market to build upon the work done in his first year at Anfield.

“I think overall it has been a decent enough season,” he added.

“There has been a lot of change, the football is certainly better the way we play.

“If we keep this team together – and I am sure the manager with strengthen – then we can have right good go (next year), that will be the big test.

“The change in manager, the change of players coming in and the change in the way we play we were not going to win everything this season.

Downing has made 89 appearances for Liverpool since signing in the summer of 2011 from Villa, scoring 7 times.

More from This Is Anfield

Fan Comments