STUB HUB CENTER, LOS ANGELES—Steven Gerrard was officially unveiled as a LA Galaxy player on Tuesday, taking part in training with his new teammates and meeting the media at his unveiling press conference.

The 35-year-old midfielder joins the current MLS champions after 17 years at his boyhood club, Liverpool.

"I love Liverpool Football Club and I always will do, I'm still a fan to this day but I needed a fresh challenge," said Galaxy's new No. 8.

"I'm a proud scouser," declared Gerrard as he fielded questions on how he's settling in to life in Los Angeles, the adaptation after being at one club for his whole career, and the influence of both David Beckham and Robbie Keane on his decision to move to California.

Gerrard admitted his biggest difficulty so far had been the jet lag he suffered in his first three days on the west coast of America, while the only advice Keane had given him was to pack the factor 50 sunscreen. 

After the press conference, Bleacher Report spoke exclusively to Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena on how he sees Gerrard's role in LA's midfield.

Will he be used in the deep-lying midfield role he's been used most often at Liverpool in the last year, will he take up a purely attacking midfield role, or will it be a box-to-box midfield role alongside Juninho?

"I think all of that," said Arena. "We need to get used to Steven, Steven needs to get used to our team, but we're not bringing him in to be a defensive midfielder, he needs to be a little bit closer to goal.

"He'll work hand in hand with Juninho [in midfield], they'll get to understand each other. 

"We don't necessarily define one over the other in the midfield area, they'll share responsibilities, although we would think that Steven will be a little bit more forward than Juninho."

Gerrard and Juninho were paired together in training but it was certainly the former England captain who was attacking more and linking up with Keane in particular. Gerrard's class was evident as he frequently set up easy opportunities for his new teammates—although his shooting lacked precision after six weeks without a competitive match.

"Anyone who thinks I'm over here for a holiday, I'll prove them wrong," declared Gerrard at his press conference inside a packed Stadium Club room overlooking the pitch at Galaxy's 27,000-capacity home.

Arena refused to be drawn on whether Gerrard, who scored a record 47 penalties for Liverpool, will take over penalty-taking duties from Galaxy captain and regular spot-kick taker Keane.

"The nice part is that we have two of the best [penalty takers] in the world and it's a good option to have," said a clearly delighted Arena.

Speaking of how Gerrard has fit in at Galaxy, Arena was full of praise for the person and player: "He's a wonderful guy to have around, which makes this kind of move easy for everyone."

Arena admitted he was surprised that a player of Gerrard's history was available—after spending his whole career at one club.

"Yeah I was surprised," said the experienced American coach. "We've spoken to players in similar positions, but very rarely do players who have been at one club their whole lives make this sort of move. 

"We were surprised and obviously very pleased. Once we understood he had a real interest, we were pretty aggressive in convincing him to come."

Arena revealed how he travelled to Liverpool in February and met Gerrard for the first time, with Galaxy president Chris Klein having explained earlier that the deal had been agreed over the phone and there had been no need for Galaxy representatives to travel to England to finalise the agreement.

Gerrard himself explained that discussions over a move to Galaxy first began in November—around the time he began to have his role reduced at Anfield.

The former England captain will make his first appearance for Galaxy in the International Champions Cup against Club America on Saturday, with his competitive MLS debut six days later against San Jose Earthquakes, both at Galaxy's home stadium, the Stub Hub Center.

* All quotes obtained firsthand.

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