While the bond formed by 17 years of sterling service to his boyhood club ensures Steven Gerrard's exit will be an emotional occasion, his ageing legs and dwindling reserves of energy mean the hero of yesteryear had already departed.

Gerrard, who announced on Friday he was quitting Liverpool at the end of the season for a new challenge abroad, can rightfully lay claim to being one of the club's true greats.

But the days when he would drag Liverpool over the line by by sheer strength of will, when his mere presence on the pitch meant no situation was so dire that he could not conjure an improbable escape, are now gone.