Steven Gerrard move to America is bad news for the English game

Steven Gerrard’s decision to end his 26-year association with Liverpool should sound alarm bells beyond Anfield.

Gerrard is heading for the United States and by the time he gets there, Frank Lampard will also be earning his living in the MLS.

The former Chelsea midfielder made his decision in the summer at the age of 36.

Then Manchester City discovered he was still good enough to play a major part in their trophy quest.

Lampard’s goals may end up giving City the title. Even if they don’t, he’s shown that he still has much to offer and that the Premier League would have been worse off if he’d gone to New York on schedule.

That’s likely to be even more the case with Gerrard. He’s two years younger and still performing at a very decent standard.

Maybe he hasn’t reached the exceptional levels of last season but there aren’t many clubs here Liverpool included who wouldn’t benefit from his presence on and off the pitch.

Of course, if he was going to leave Liverpool, it was never going to be for a direct rival. Lampard, despite his long period at Chelsea, never had the raw, emotional ties that Gerrard has.

In his statement, Gerrard says that leaving is the toughest decision of his life. Actually, spending two or three years earning fantastic money somewhere sunny and glamorous, where your family can settle easily doesn’t seem so tough.

The rise of the MLS presents a new challenge to all the top European Leagues. Lampard’s new team-mate David Villa, for instance, would surely still be a stand-out player in Spain.

But it’s the Premier League that’s under the biggest threat because of the common language and culture and because it has been so successful in selling itself to American TV audiences.

Lampard and Gerrard are at the tail end of their careers, but how long will it be before players decide they should make the move much earlier?

David Beckham was only 32 when he joined LA Galaxy. Robbie Keane was just 31. Jermaine Defoe was also 31 when he left for Toronto.

Would it appeal to Wayne Rooney after the 2018 World Cup when he’ll be 32? Or might he be tempted even sooner?

Once the pathway is established especially if the biggest names are in the vanguard it becomes much easier for others to follow. And that’s bad news for English football.