BRENDAN RODGERS HAS dismissed claims Luis Suarez has become disillusioned with English football.
Former Anfield star John Aldridge made the suggestion that the Uruguayan may seek a new adventure if he becomes frustrated by the media coverage surrounding his ban for racism or diving, in light of recent refereeing decisions against him.
But manager Rodgers believes the striker is enjoying life on Merseyside and relishes the task of improving Liverpool’s fortunes.
“Luis loves playing in English football. I speak with him regularly and he loves the passion and excitement of the game over here,” Rodgers told reporters.
“He is a player who’s mentally very strong, as you can see from his time here with the amount of stick he’s taken. It’s actually a driver for him. It really motivates him. He loves being at Liverpool. He loves the city, he loves the club and he loves the supporters, so I can’t see that happening.”
Suarez was at the centre of the action once again on Sunday as he played a starring role in the 2-2 derby draw with rivals Everton. The striker’s cross-cum-shot was turned into his own net by Leighton Baines to open the scoring, leading to him celebrating by feigning a dive in front of David Moyes following the Everton manager’s pre-match comments regarding simulation, before adding a goal of his own from a Steven Gerrard free kick.
Rodgers is full of praise for Suarez, and would rather concentrate on his fantastic exploits on the pitch rather than negative conceptions of him off it. He added: “I thought he was outstanding. He’s just a breath of fresh air, his enthusiasm. He’s our only fit striker here.
“He was tireless against Reading, we had to play a strong team in order to get a result against Anzhi, and I think many people thought the condition of the team and him in particular up front would maybe waver a bit, but the condition of the group and him in particular was amazing.
“He’s a wonderful talent. He’ll always provoke comments both positive and negative but the bottom line is he’s a fantastic player. He scores goals, his goals to games ratio this season is fantastic.”
