Liverpool gives midfielder Spearing a new contract

Liverpool has given Jay Spearing a new contract after the midfielder helped the team move up to fifth place in the Premier League table.

The 22-year-old Spearing has been with Liverpool since he was 7 but only became a regular when Kenny Dalglish returned as manager in January.

Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli says ''he won his place in the team on merit and has showed in the last games that he can raise his game to what we need.''

Spearing follows Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt in signing a new deal.

Liverpool did not say how long the contract was or how much it was worth.