Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre believes that Steven Gerrard's future would still have been up in the air even if he had signed a new contract last summer.
The Reds captain admitted last week that he would have signed a new deal at Anfield if it had been offered sooner, which prompted suggestions that the club didn't do enough to keep him.
However, Ayre believes that Gerrard's main reason for leaving is down to the fact that manager Brendan Rodgers wanted to limit the 34-year-old's game time.
"Steven may have signed that contract, but we may have been sat round now in the same position," Ayre told CityTalk. "We've had that before with very senior players. I had one come to me and say 'I don't really fancy this any more'.
"So the fact that he would have signed a contract last season actually doesn't make any difference. His point was that after playing every week, playing a bit-part role is not how he wanted to finish his career."
Gerrard will join MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy at the end of the season.
Danielle Joynson
