Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has spoken of his disappointment at failing to lure Sami Hyypia back to the club this summer.
The Finland international, 36, had been tipped to return to the club in a player-coach role following his Bosman transfer to Bayer Leverkusen last year, after 10 years of service at Anfield, to form an integral part of Hodgson's new backroom regime.
Hodgson has now revealed that Liverpool made a bid to Leverkusen to recapture their former captain but saw it rejected due to Hyypia's importance to the Bundesliga outfit.
He added: "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. 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."
Hodgson also confirmed that Liverpool will offer Carragher a new contract once the club's ownership saga is resolved at the end of this summer.
The veteran defender has made no secret of his desire to remain at Liverpool but revealed that he may consider plying his trade elsewhere if he was not a regular fixture in the starting line-up.
Carragher, 32, is now in the final year of his current deal at Anfield after negotiations broke down in March but Hodgson has pledged to reopen talks with the vice-captain once new owners are installed, with the club's board confident of a takeover being completed shortly.
"I'm sure it [a contract extension] will be a priority," he added.
"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."
The Finland international, 36, had been tipped to return to the club in a player-coach role following his Bosman transfer to Bayer Leverkusen last year, after 10 years of service at Anfield, to form an integral part of Hodgson's new backroom regime.
Hodgson has now revealed that Liverpool made a bid to Leverkusen to recapture their former captain but saw it rejected due to Hyypia's importance to the Bundesliga outfit.
He added: "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. 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."
Hodgson also confirmed that Liverpool will offer Carragher a new contract once the club's ownership saga is resolved at the end of this summer.
The veteran defender has made no secret of his desire to remain at Liverpool but revealed that he may consider plying his trade elsewhere if he was not a regular fixture in the starting line-up.
Carragher, 32, is now in the final year of his current deal at Anfield after negotiations broke down in March but Hodgson has pledged to reopen talks with the vice-captain once new owners are installed, with the club's board confident of a takeover being completed shortly.
"I'm sure it [a contract extension] will be a priority," he added.
"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."
