England soccer player Gerrard to open restaurant

England's Steven Gerrard plays during their international friendly soccer match at Wembley Stadium against Egypt in London , March 3, 2010.

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - England soccer player and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has bought a share in his favorite local restaurant with an eye to turning it into a New York-style hipster bar.

Gerrard is joining forces with restaurateur Paul Adams to relaunch the Warehouse Brasserie (www.warehousekitchenandbar.com) in Southport just north of Liverpool, Gerrard and Adams said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

The venue, which boasts a Michelin Bib Gourmand, is undergoing a major refurbishment before re-opening just ahead of this summer's World Cup as the Warehouse Kitchen & Bar.

"I've been eating there for years because I love the food and the atmosphere, so it's genuinely exciting to become its co-owner with Paul," Gerrard said in the statement.

The design and theme of the restaurant is being kept a closely guarded secret but has taken its inspiration from the new wave of "hipster bars" popular in New York's Tribeca district, the statement said.

Gerrard said he wanted to be more than just the celebrity face of the restaurant.

"This is my first venture in the restaurant trade but I think it's important to also say that my priorities are, and always will be, on the football pitch," he said.

(Reporting by Valle Aviles Pinedo, editing by Paul Casciato)