Owen urged to sign up

Steven Gerrard has called on Michael Owen to follow his example and commit his future to Liverpool.

Gerrard signed a new four-year £60,000-a-week contract at Anfield in November and wants his England team-mate to follow suit.

Owen's future is in doubt as with just 18 months remaining on his contract he has yet to sign a new deal and his agent, Jon Holmes, suggested he would leave if Liverpool did not qualify for the Champions League.

Gerrard, though, is confident Owen will stay at Anfield. He said: "Michael is his own man and will make his own decision but I'd love him to stay. I've committed myself for another three to four years and I hope he does the same."

Owen was reportedly furious with Holmes for making such comments but reports that he is set to dump his agency, SFX, are wide of the mark. The 24-year-old was on the bench for last night's 1-0 win over Chelsea and is expected to start against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, meanwhile, believes that Chelsea can still win the title despite their defeat at Stamford Bridge.

He said: "Chelsea are going through a bad patch. But they can still win the Championship. Chelsea are a great team and a very technical side."