Roy Hodgson has confirmed Jamie Carragher will be offered
a new contract at Liverpool once the club's ownership saga is
resolved.
Reds defender Carragher is into the final year of his current
deal and plans for a new contract have been on hold because of the
uncertainty surrounding the club's future under American owners Tom
Hicks and George Gillett.
Concerns have been raised that the 32-year-old centre-back, who
was part of the England set-up during the World Cup, could leave
after the current campaign but Liverpool boss Hodgson expects the
defensive stalwart to remain at Anfield.
"I'm sure it [a contract extension] will be a priority," said
Hodgson, whose team were drawn against Turkish outfit Trabzonspor
in the Europa League play-offs on Friday.
"Quite frankly so much has happened in the last five weeks, the
hours I've spent at the club are enormous, that we haven't actually
got round to discussing contracts with players.
"I now know that Carragher has got one year left. That's the
only contract of a player that I know about. If you asked me how
many years the others have got, I haven't got a clue."
Hodgson is also confident Carragher and skipper Steven Gerrard
will remain part of the Liverpool furniture for life, while
revealing he has made an unsuccessful attempt to bring Sami Hyypia
back to the club as a coach.
"I can see players like Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard never
leaving Liverpool Football Club. I can see them always being part
of the club," added the 62-year-old.
"In the same way I'm a bit disappointed that my attempts to
bring Sami Hyypia back failed. It only failed because he's so
important to Bayer Leverkusen.
"We couldn't get him out of his contract. He's one I would also
put in the Jamie Carragher-Steven Gerrard mould, Liverpool for
life.
"Unfortunately he was let go at the end of the season before
last and we can't get him back. He's too valuable to them."