Suarez must apologise to team-mates before we welcome him back, reveals Rodgers

By Dominic King

PUBLISHED: 14:08 EST, 10 August 2013 | UPDATED: 02:24 EST, 11 August 2013

Luis Suarez has been ordered to apologise to his Liverpool team-mates before he is welcomed back into the Anfield fold.

The Uruguayan was forced to train on his own after claiming the club had broken a promise to sell him to a Champions League club this summer.

But manager Brendan Rodgers has repeatedly insisted his star striker will remain with the club despite Arsenal making an offer of £40,000,001, a sum they believed was enough to trigger a clause in his contract.

Outcast: Liverpool's wantaway striker Luis Suarez trains on his own with two staff at Melwood

Outcast: Liverpool's wantaway striker Luis Suarez trains on his own with two staff at Melwood

‘There are a couple of things Luis has to do,’ said the Anfield manager after his side's 1-0 loss to Celtic in Dublin.

‘There has to be recognition [of his behaviour] and an apology to his team-mates and to the club.

‘Since I joined I have seen how hard he works. That hasn’t been there [recently] and the fans, players and club deserve more than that. He’s worked separate from the group and when he comes back from his international trip with Uruguay we’ll assess the situation.

‘I’ve spoken to [owner] John W Henry and we’re all on the same page. He won’t be going to Arsenal, that’s for sure.

‘There has been lots of speculation about all these clubs [wanting to sign Suarez] and I was made aware at the end of the season that we’d have some come in for him. But we’ve had only one, and our intention is to keep Suarez.’

Standing firm: Brendan Rodgers has reiterated his stance that Suarez will not be sold to Arsenal

Standing firm: Brendan Rodgers has reiterated his stance that Suarez will not be sold to Arsenal

The 26-year-old is suspended for the first six matches of the season as his ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic is carried over, but even if he does not leave in the current transfer window there are still bridges to be repaired.

Rodgers added: ‘He’s a  world-class striker, and when he’s committed to the cause we’ll welcome him back with open arms.’

The number of chances Liverpool missed as they were losing to Celtic last night suggested they can ill-afford to lose someone of Suarez’s calibre.

Rodgers said: ‘We missed Luis for a few games last season and we continued to score but that is not to say we don’t want him.’

 

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you bet he needs to apologize... He should be sorry that he has ambitions... he should be sorry that he doesnt want to play under a joke of a manager who cant stop making a muppet of himself in front of a mic... he should be sorry that he doesnt want to play for a team that lost to a 2nd string Celtic squad (hardly 2 first team players)... He should be sorry he wants to leave a team that has only 2 players worth mentioning (Gerrard and Coutinho) Me thinks its BR thats gonna have to come and beg Suarez to play in his 1st team if he wants to keep his job beyond December

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Of what benefit will the apology be to Suarez? He should apologise so that he can be allowed to play for a team he says he does not want to play for?

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The truth is it should be Rodgers giving a public apology for promising that Suarez could go if Liverpool did not qualify for Champions League and reigning on his word.. The way Suarez issues have been handled have only brought both Rodgers and LFC's reputation down further.

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This is the same liverpool fans that sent threats to gerrard,when he wanted to leave!!! You don't own the player..he has a life.......

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Seems to me that Rodgers is getting it in the neck from all sides... gives you an indication of the society we have become.. the americans own the club, rodgers is employed by them to manage and coach the team, and is answerable to them..... suarez has been bought as a player for liverpool football club anf is answerable to Mr Rodgers.... Thats it.. nothing too complicated there ,,... is there? As for what Suarez might think.. who cares? he is contracted and if liverpool football club want him to stay and spend the 3 best years of his career in the reserves , then as his employers they are quite entitled to do that... either way it has nothing to do with suarez... Petulance is not an excuse...

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Typical idiots commenting here. Suarez has blatantly called Rodgers a liar, do you expect Rodgers to stay silent after that? And the indignation from Arsenal fans begging Liverpool to sell is laughable. It's as if he's their player already. Were they supportive of Fabregas and RVP's desire to leave? No! Yet they expect Liverpool to happily sell their best player to them. Hypocrites.

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I seem to remember, after all it was less than a week ago, this paper reporting that Suarez would definitely, without doubt, 100% guaranteed, hand in a written transfer request by Friday just gone. - Ponty1050, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 11/08/2013 11:14 --- I think he did that when he slated your once proud club.. No one bigger then the club.. Looks like Suarez is

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Prof. Wenger is just teaching Mr deluded (Rodgers) a top management lesson. let him (Rodgers) do all the talking and then we sign him up eventually. Prof. Wenger has been doing this since (Rodgers) was a school boy. Suarez will come to arsenal WHY? Victoria Concordia Crescit

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Your comments:So Brendan, you are refusing to let him go, but if he doesn't apologise, you won't play him? Isn't this a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face? If he wants to leave as badly as he obviously does, he is hardly going to apologise is he, so your best player will now not play, or be allowed to leave and bring you in some money.

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This should have been kept 'in house' because either Suarez will apologise and be resentful towards the club OR he won't apologise and Rodgers will be faced with indefinitely suspending him or backing down. This situation gets murkier each day, with both Suarez and Rodgers dragging the name of LFC through the mud.

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