Match Report: Hull City 3 - 0 Liverpool

Hull City spoiled Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson's Liverpool debuts with an impressive 3-0 win at the KC Stadium.

England duo Downing and Henderson were handed their first outings for Liverpool since their big-money arrivals from Aston Villa and Sunderland respectively, but it was not an occasion to remember.

Fellow new signing Alexander Doni also made his debut for Kenny Dalglish's side, but he was beaten twice before the break.

Hull broke the deadlock on 21 minutes with a superb strike from on-loan Manchester United youngster Robbie Brady.

The home side doubled their lead 13 minutes later when Slovenian international Robert Koren found the net after working a one-two with Aaron McLean.

Dalglish made 11 changes at the break as he tries to get his squad fit for the new season with Henderson and Downing making their bows.

Downing went close to scoring two minutes after his introduction when he saw his shot superbly saved by Hull keeper Adriano Basso.

Hull added a third just before the hour when Jay Simpson scored from close-range to condemn Liverpool to their first defeat of pre-season.

Dalglish Disappointed By Defeat

Kenny Dalglish admitted he was disappointed by Liverpool's surprise 3-0 defeat at Hull City on Saturday.

Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Alexander Doni all made their debuts for Liverpool, but they could not prevent the Reds from slumping to their first defeat of pre-season.

Hull picked up a confidence-boosting win thanks to goals from Robbie Brady, Robert Koren and Jay Simpson and Dalglish admits he expected better from his troops at the KC Stadium.

"Obviously we're disappointed at losing the game. It doesn't matter whether it was a pre-season friendly or not, but the fact it is pre-season gives us a wee bit of solace," said Dalglish.

"We trained on Friday as if it was a game. Everybody ran about nine or 10 thousand metres, which is equivalent to what you do in a game, so it's like playing a game and a half in two days.

"We also travelled over yesterday morning and it's not ideal, but I would have expected a wee bit better than that.

"As I say, it is pre-season and it's to get players fit and get rid of their mistakes - but I certainly think we've got a few mistakes to get rid of after today.

"In the second half we made a few more chances. I think in the first half we had one shot at goal, which wasn't too compelling to watch. But for us the second half was better.

"We still lost the second half 1-0, but we had three guys making their first appearances in a Liverpool shirt and they will get benefit from that.

"It was an extension of our training sessions this week and starting from now we've got to get ourselves a wee bit more realistic (in terms of fitness)."

Dalglish claims Downing, Henderson and Doni have all settled in well to life at Liverpool, but he concedes they will not be happy to taste defeat on their first appearances for the club.

"They're very comfortable. It's an easy place to come and settle, it's very welcoming, but they'll not be too satisfied getting back on the bus after that," added Dalglish.

Reds Make Move For Rodallega

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish wants Wigan's Colombian star Hugo Rodallega but will have to pay £9million to get him.

Dalglish is keen to bring in the powerful attacker to give Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez some top-class support as the Kop aim to get back on the glory trail this season

Rodallega has impressed Dalglish in the past couple of years, often dazzling against the Anfield side in games, and he thinks the South American would be a huge asset

Dalglish is looking to move out David Ngog and Milan Jovanovic as he improves the quality of his options and he knows Suarez and Carroll will pick up injuries because of their all-action styles

So Dalglish wants Rodallega to fill that gap and hopes Wigan will be sensible with the fee as the 25-year-old is going into the last season of his contract and can go for nothing next summer

Wigan supremo Dave Whelan values Rodallega in the £9m class, similar to winger Charles NZogbia who is also in the same contract position and boss Roberto Martinez is backing him.

Martinez needs to sell before he can buy any replacements.

He wants Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez at relegated Spanish side Hercules who will cost around £4m.

Dalglish turned to Rodallega after making an inquiry for Freiburg's Senegalese striker Papiss Cisse. He is valued at £13m and is also looking for around £4m-a-year.

So Rodallega is a much cheaper alternative.

Ince Set For Seasiders

Skysports.com understands Blackpool are poised to sign Liverpool midfielder Tom Ince.

As revealed by skysports.com earlier this month, Blackpool was lining up a double swoop for Ince and Reds team-mate Gerardo Bruna.

Blackpool tied up a deal for Bruna earlier this week and now Ince is set to follow him to Bloomfield Road.

Ince failed to break into Liverpool's first team and has been a regular in the reserves over the last couple of seasons.

Ince, who is the son of former Reds captain, Paul, enjoyed a spell on loan at Notts County last season alongside his father.

However, it seems Liverpool is now willing to let Ince move on, with the player keen to be playing regular first-team football.

Seasiders boss Ian Holloway has been busy in the transfer market lately and he is believed to be keen on a double loan swoop for Manchester United duo Danny Drinkwater and Oliver Norwood.

Villyan Bijev Signs For Liverpool

American teenager Villyan Bijev has agreed terms this weekend with Premier League giants Liverpool, according to a report from Californian news channel KMPH Fox 26.

The report claimed that Bijev has signed a three-year contract with a two-year option, and his high school coach and former MLS midfielder Chad McCarty confirmed the information to the television station.

The striker will avoid any work permit issues because he holds Bulgarian citizenship through his father, Chris, who was born in Bulgaria and is now a renowned attorney in Northern California specializing in immigration and nationality issues.

The 18-year-old forward has been a prolific scorer with his club, Cal Odyssey, in the Development Academy for the past three seasons. Last year, he notched over 20 goals as his team finished as runners-up in the Under-16 section. This year, he averaged a goal a game and was voted into the national starting XI at the Under-18 level.

A native of Fresno, Bijev played for the USA's Under-18 team in May at the Lisbon International tournament.

The youngster is understood to have impressed the Liverpool coaching staff while on trial at the Anfield club last week, scoring five goals and contributing two assists in two games for the Reds' Under-18 academy team.

Earlier this year, Bijev declined an invitation to join the USFC SuperElite tour, and instead spent time training in Bulgaria before heading to England for the trial with Liverpool.

With his combination of skill and deft touch, Bijev has been tipped for a bright future either as a forward or in central midfield.

He told Goal.com earlier this year that he wants to improve his runs off the ball and strength in possession.

Assuming he can improve those two traits, Bijev will hope to enjoy a more successful career with Liverpool than compatriots Brad Friedel and Zak Whitbread, who both failed to make the grade at Anfield - though Friedel, now at Tottenham via Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa, went on to enjoy a superb career in the English Premier League.

Aquilani On Verge Of Viola Move

Italian media are so convinced Alberto Aquilani will join Fiorentina from Liverpool that they already have his shirt number picked.

The midfielder is expected to make the loan move some time next week after accepting a massive wage cut.

The Corriere Fiorentino newspaper is already reporting as if the transfer is complete, stating he will wear the Number 10 jersey this season.

It is noted another Roman star once wore this shirt, Picchio De Sisti.

Meanwhile, the Viola are also on the verge of securing 24-year-old Santos midfielder Marcos Arouca.

Milan Jovanovic Offered Escape Route To Saudi Arabian Club

Liverpool forward Milan Jovanovic is understood to have been offered the chance to move to the Middle East and play for Al-Shabab Riyadh.

According to The Daily Mail, former Standard Liege manager Michel Preud'homme wants to bring the Serbian to the wealthy Saudi Arabian club and is willing to match his current salary of £60,000 a week in order to persuade him.

It had seemed likely that Jovanovic, who signed last year on a free transfer from Liege, would return to Belgium by joining Anderlecht, who had claimed that a deal was close to being completed.

However, the Belgian club's move for the 30-year-old international could now be in jeopardy as it is said he would not have to take a drop in his weekly wages should he move to the Middle East.

Jovanovic has had an unhappy spell on Merseyside since Roy Hodgson signed him last summer following the World Cup.

He managed only 18 appearances and two goals in total for the Reds, and played just twice under Kenny Dalglish following the manager's appointment in January.

He fell down the Liverpool pecking order when Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez joined the club in January, and the recent arrivals of Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam mean his opportunities of first-team action now appear even slimmer.

Jonjo Shelvey Looking Forward To Playing With World-Class Stars At Liverpool

Liverpool youngster Jonjo Shelvey says he is glad to see new arrivals join the club and is not worried about competition for places.

The former Charlton Athletic player made 21 appearances last season as new manager Kenny Dalglish gave younger players more time on the pitch.

But the Scot has since signed midfielders Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing as he aims to take Liverpool back into the top four.

The new arrivals mean it will be harder for the likes of Shelvey to get any first-team action, but he insists that he is just pleased to train with world-class players.

"I think it's good for the youths and reserves," he told Match Magazine.

"The gaffer proved last season that he's not afraid to put young players in. We had six academy boys on the bench for one game, which is great for the club.

"I like the transfer window. I want new players to come into the club because I want to work with the best players in the world. I always keep an eye on the moves because it can be really interesting."

With the plethora of new midfield signings, there has been speculation that Shelvey could be sold or loaned out, but the England Under-19 captain says the speculation is news to him as well.

He added: "I get a lot of mates asking, 'Is that true? Is this true?', when they see rumours about me or my team-mates.

“I just have to say, 'I don't know - leave me alone!' They keep asking and asking, but I tell them they can't believe anything until it's happened.

"I think a lot of the stuff that gets printed are just rumours. Some will come true, but some are rubbish.

"We hear rumours all the time, but to be honest we don't get told much of what the club is doing until a deal has gone through."

In addition to the four major signings made this summer, including goalkeeper Doni from Roma, Liverpool also swooped for Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll in January - and Shelvey is delighted with the transfer business the club have conducted.

"He [John Henry] told everyone his plans when he first came in and he's backed up every word," he said. "It's great to have an owner like that.

"His time at the club has started really well and all the players are looking forward to seeing him put his plans into action.

"The club has done some good business. January was exciting when Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll arrived. I was ill the day Andy signed and I remember waking up that morning, flicking on Sky Sports News and just wanting to get into training."

Steven Gerrard Could Miss The First Two Months Of The Season

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is set to miss the first two months of the new Premier League season, according to reports.

The 31-year-old has been struggling for fitness for some time now, and Mirror reports that a second groin injury has caused a delay in the midfielder's recovery.

This latest setback would mean that the Anfield skipper is likely to miss England's international friendly against the Netherlands in August, and could also be absent for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in September.

At club level, however, Liverpool are not short of midfielders due to the signings of Charlie Adam from Blackpool and Jordan Henderson from Sunderland, while Alberto Aquilani has returned from his loan spell with Juventus.

Preview & Matchday: Liverpool vs Hull City

Liverpool continues their preseason preparations with a trip to the KC Stadium, where they’ll work to get up to speed and look to gain momentum ahead of the season opener in three weeks. This marks the midway point of the club’s preseason fixtures, and possibly gives us the first chance to see the Liverpool bow of at least a couple summer signings. As with everything in the preseason, it’s not quite the real thing, but it’s something.

Five of the six preseason matches are away from Anfield, with only the final match against Valencia taking place on Merseyside. Today’s trip is the shortest, though—only two hours separate Liverpool from Hull, which is a far cry from the 2,000+ miles they’ll travel over the next week to face Galatasaray in Istanbul. A welcomed chance to stay closer to home for Kenny Dalglish and company, and a chance for a few more Liverpool supporters to see the club in action before the season gets going proper on August 13th.

For Hull it’s the third match of a five in the preseason; they’ve won twice so far against North Ferriby United (4-1) and Winterton Rangers (2-1) on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, fielding different elevens in the back-to-back matches. Liverpool loanee Peter Gulacsi featured in the win over Winterton and conceded the only Rangers goal, and a host of other new signings made their debuts a day earlier in the rout of North Ferriby.

Over the past few seasons Liverpool’s shared a number of players on loan deals with Hull; Daniel Ayala and David Amoo joined the previously departed Jack Hobbs last season, and Gulacsi joined the club only a week ago. And, like every other club around this time of year, there’s been plenty of movement in other areas—Robbie Brady’s joined Gulacsi on loan from Manchester United, Paul McKenna and Dele Adebola signed on frees from Forest, and Hobbs made his loan move from Leicester City permanent in June.

Maybe the most interesting personnel development recently has been the ongoing Jimmy Bullard saga; the club released a brief and ambiguous statement to go along with reports from all ends that he’s been suspended for two weeks for a “breach of club discipline.” On the heels of talk that he was headed to QPR after a successful loan spell at Ipswich Town during the 2010-2011 season, probably not the type of press Hull were looking for. There’s plenty of recognizable names in the Hull squad for better reasons, though—Matt Duke, Stephen Hunt, Andy Dawson, Paul McShane, and Anthony Gardner are all holdovers from the club’s 2009-2010 Premier League season.

The early talk about today’s match on the Liverpool end has been the chance to see Liverpool’s fresh faces, with Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, and Doni all apparently in the mix to see time.

Kenny Dalglish has, however, unsurprisingly downplayed talk that we’ll see everyone we want:

“We will have a look at them and decide what’s best. There is certainly no rush for us to play anyone in these pre-season games. Stewart has been training for a fortnight and Jordan only started training on Monday. Everyone has trained well this week and the players are looking in good shape. Nowadays they come back looking as fit as they were before the break. But some have started back later than others and we have to take that into consideration.”

Good PR, but not enough to convince that we won’t get at least two of the three—Downing’s fitness doesn’t seem to be in question, and with Gulacsi heading out upon the club’s return from the Asian Tour, you’d guess that Doni would at least be in the squad with only Martin Hansen and Brad Jones left. Less clear is the status of Jordan Henderson; if he’s only been training for the week I’d imagine that a brief stint would be about as much as we could ask for. At least for now, those clamoring to have him as a regular fixture in the starting eleven might have to bide their time.

Otherwise it’s likely the same song and dance, with a good mix of youth and experience, and wholesale changes as available at the half. Dalglish said as much in the link above, along with mentioning some questions about the number of substitutes available—it’s only relevant because the Football League recently passed a ruling that only 5 substitutes would be allowed for league and Johnstone Paint Trophy Cup matches. I can’t imagine that there’d be any restrictions for today’s match, though, and with no reports of any new fitness concerns since the Asian Tour, I’m guessing we’ll see plenty of the squad in action.

And, as usual, we’ll be hoping for everyone to come out the other side more fit than less, and a step closer to being ready to do it for real in three weeks’ time.

Reds Eye Young Ivorian Ace

The president of Stade d'Abidjan has confirmed Liverpool is interested in teenage striker Angban Bekanty Victorien.

The 16-year-old Ivory Coast prodigy was a sensation in the Under-17 World Cup alongside Coulibaly Souleymane and Diarrassouba Drissa, who is reportedly set for a trial with Stoke City.

Various reports in Ivory Coast claim Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool have agreed a fee with Stade d'Abidjan for the services of the striker.

But the club's president, Abi Koffi Richmond, says nothing has been agreed with him yet and other sides are also interested in the youngster.

He told skysports.com: "Liverpool has not agreed anything with me yet, I have nothing written.

"They are a great club and respected club, I do not need to tell them how to do their work.

"I have contact from them through some agents but they are not the only club interested in the boy."

Liverpool Ready To Pounce For French Starlet

Liverpool are ready to snap up French Under 17 star M'Baye Niang from Caen, according to the Daily Mirror.

The 16-year-old signed a new contract with Caen in January, however it's been reported that the paperwork was filed incorrectly, making one of the hottest young prospects in world football available on a free transfer.

Liverpool are thought to be interested in bringing Niang, who made his Ligue 1 debut in the second half of last season, making seven appearances and scoring three goals, to Anfield.

The French starlet has been capped at Under 16 and Under 17 levels, making 14 appearances in all for his country. With such a strong reputation amongst young players, Liverpool would be a logical choice for Niang should he decide to leave France.

Niang can play as an attacking midfielder and as a striker, and is thought to be attracting interest from Tottenham as well.

Liverpool could be with one less versatile attacker in the coming days as Anderlecht bosses confirmed they're holding talks with Milan Jovanovic.

The 30-year-old Serbian international has been told he's free to leave Liverpool, and the Belgian side has been the most likely destination for some time.

Nothing has yet been agreed, but Anderlecht officials are confident a move for the Liverpool man will be completed.

"We're currently negotiating with Jovanovic, but we couldn't achieve an agreement (yet)," an Anderlecht spokesman said. "We're very much interested and the player would like to come."

It's understood that Olympiakos and Brugge are also interested, but Anderlecht remain the favourites to take Jovanovic away from Liverpool.

Reds Preparing To Unleash ‘The Next Robbie Fowler’

With plenty of attention being focused on the newest additions to Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool squad, one player also looking to make a name for himself at Anfield next season is promising academy product Adam Morgan.

The young striker, dubbed the 'next Robbie Fowler' has been making waves in the youth set-up, scoring 21 goals for the Reds' Under 18s before heading off to play for England in the Under 17 World Cup in Mexico.

Since returning to Merseyside, Morgan has continued his rich vein of form with four goals already in just two pre-season friendlies, including a brace in a Liverpool XI's 7-0 drubbing of Preston North End on Wednesday.

"I've been raring to go since the end of last season because I finished on such a high," he said. "I've had a good break. Mexico was a good experience but I just want to concentrate on Liverpool now and have a good season."

Morgan's reward for his fine performances over the past 12 months was the offer, and signing of his first professional contract earlier this month - a deal that will keep him at Anfield until June 2014.

Despite his fast-track development, Morgan is keeping his feet firmly on the floor. After emerging as a key performer for the Under 18s last term, his goal for this season is to make the step up and establish himself in coach Rodolfo Borrell's reserve side.

"If I can maintain last season's form, I'll progress and play for Rodo again hopefully," he continued. "I have a lot to thank him for, but I like working under Marshy [Mike Marsh – Under 18 coach] and I don't mind what team I play for as long as it's for Liverpool."

Five Reasons Why This Could Be Liverpool’s Year

Liverpool’s nightmare 2010-11 season officially went into the books about two months ago and even though it left painful lasting memories, all of that is history nonetheless.

For now, the Red half of Merseyside is preparing to bounce back next year under their fearless leader, Kenny Dalglish. To his credit, Dalglish nearly turned the aforementioned nightmare into a Europa League spot, which further increases the optimism surrounding the coming season.

Upon replacing Roy Hodgson, Dalglish brought forth a mini-revolution that included the departure of prolific Spaniard Fernando Torres in January, while Uruguay’s World Cup hero Luis Suarez and England international Andy Carroll arrived at Anfield to fill the void.

In addition to revitalizing the club’s previously one-dimensional attack that revolved around the often injured Torres, Dalglish also integrated youthfulness in other positions as young Jay Spearing impressed in the midfield and Martin Kelly showed flashes of brilliance in the defense.

Most importantly, he brought the huge roster of players together in a manner that bolstered morale and allowed the Reds to end the season strongly with a run that included a comprehensive win over champions Manchester United.

With that said, it is fair to believe that Kenny’s strategies have alerted rivals about the true potential of Liverpool as the new season approaches. In fact, the following five reasons suggest that this could very well turn out to be the Reds’ year to celebrate the title glory that has evaded them for over two decades:

5. A balanced attack:

Chelsea has Didier Drogba and Torres while Manchester United boasts of the lethal trio of Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, and Dimitar Berbatov. Yet, neither of last season’s top two sides have a duo of young starlets with completely different skill sets. In Suarez and Carroll, Liverpool have actually discovered a partnership that could deliver for years as the Uruguayan’s mobility complements the former Newcastle striker’s presence. While Suarez has already scored four times in his 13 appearances for the Reds, Carroll also proved his mettle with two goals in six appearances last season. One must keep in mind that this was all accomplished without extensive preseason training. Starting with the Liverpool’s tour of China, both Suarez and Carroll will have plenty of time to get in sync with each other as well as the other members of the offense.

4. Incredible midfield depth:

If a player of Joe Cole’s caliber becomes a forgotten man as quickly as he has, then it is clear that we are talking about a world-class midfield. It must be noted, though, that rather than simply stacking up the players, Dalglish has created a unit of players who can establish a rhythm playing together. While newboys Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam can create plays down the middle, Lucas Leiva and Christian Poulsen can battle hard in the holding role. The likes of Raul Meireles and Maxi Rodriguez can prove to be a handful for any defense on their best day. Last, but not least, the return of Steven Gerrard is poised to shake up the Premier League. The Reds missed the leadership of number 8 throughout his spell on the sidelines last year and now that the skipper has promised to be back in better condition than ever, don’t be surprised if Lionel Messi has trouble retaining his crown as the continent’s best player.

3. First full season for Kenny:

If you thought that Mr. Dalglish proved to be quite the tactician by calmly guiding he club to some level of respectability amidst massive chaos last season, just think how much he will benefit from a summer of nothing but planning. Bright minds like Kenny only need time to be on their side and with an entire off-season to solve the puzzle that last season turned out to be, expect his Reds to arrive into the new season as one of the most prepared teams in the league.

2. Stability has replaced unrest:

There is no secret that everyone associated with the club last season had to endure their share of frustration as uncertainty off the field hindered the team’s performance in the opening weeks of the campaign. Distraction lingered around the locker room as Hodgson’s doomed spell in charge of the club went from bad to worse with each passing week until the club’s ownership issue was settled. The new owners brought a new lease of life and thanks to several changes that followed, the Reds now appear to be stable again with silverware being the only object of their focus.

1. No European commitment:

The disappointing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur towards the end of last season not only took Liverpool out of the running for Europa League qualification, but it also dented their momentum in a big way. Nevertheless, looking back at that loss, the Reds might as well think of it as a blessing in disguise. Any Scouser will tell you that Premier League glory means far more than 10 Europa League titles put together, which is precisely why it is favorable for Dalglish’s men to dedicate all their effort towards the domestic front this year.

At the end of the day, saying and doing are two very different things. Looking at the promising development of this Liverpool squad, no one can have difficulty saying that they are likely to be contenders. However, it remains to be seen whether or not they can lift their first Premier League trophy since 1990 when the coming season ends up in the books next May.

Liverpool Cut Manchester United Ticket Allocation

Manchester United fans face seeing their ticket allocation for October's Barclays Premier League clash with Liverpool slashed by more than a third because of "persistent standing" issues at Anfield.

A report submitted to Liverpool City Council has recommended cutting the visiting supporters' capacity from 3,015 to 1,965 in an attempt to combat the problem of people blocking gangways.

The Ground Safety Advisory Group, who compiled the report after match between the two sides in April, suggests problems with United fans at Anfield are far greater than those of other visiting clubs.

"Pictures were presented which showed how the gangways at that game were affected compared to a similar high-profile game where persistent standing also occurred," said the report.

"The actions of the Manchester United supporters had overwhelmed the reasonable operations of the stewards through the management plan.

"This is an escalation of the actions of the supporters from previous games.

"It is not clear what more the club can reasonably do through stewarding measures to ensure spectators do not encroach in to gangways.

"Spectators from other away clubs attending the ground also persistently stand.

"However they do not spread out in to the gangways to the same extent that the Manchester United spectators do."

Liverpool City Council's licensing committee will make a final decision on the proposal at a meeting on August 8.

Luis Suarez Focused On Copa America Glory

Luiz Suarez insists the Golden Boot doesn't bother him as he focuses on winning the Copa America.

If the Liverpool striker nets in Sunday’s final against Paraguay he will top the competition’s scoring charts.

Suarez is currently level on three with Sergio Aguero, whose Argentinian side were dumped out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay.

“Being top scorer is not the important thing for me,” said Suarez. The main issue is the collective dream of winning the Copa. Personal stuff is secondary to that.”

Uruguay is chasing a record 15th South American title and Suarez added: “We’ll not forget about those titles but we are thinking about the present, about carrying on winning.

“Uruguay are not going to waste time celebrating past achievements and past titles won.”

Liverpool FC Announce Irish Link-Up

Liverpool Football Club has struck a two-year co-operation agreement with League of Ireland club Bray Wanderers and St Joseph’s Boys.

The link up was announced prior to the reserves' clash with Bray this week.

Coaches from Liverpool will visit both clubs in Ireland to deliver training sessions and boost the development of young Irish talent.

The hope is that some will be good enough to progress into the Reds' ranks.

Boss Kenny Dalglish, who is a close friend of Bray boss Pat Devlin, said: “I've always had a close affinity to young Irish players.

Pat Devlin and I have been in close contact for some years and it's important for Liverpool to have close links with Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

Liverpool FC Legends To Meet In Charity Clash

Roy Evans is returning to management for a special charity match in October.

The former Reds boss will lead a Liverpool side against Kevin Keegan's Newcastle in a showdown being billed at 'The Entertainers Reunited'.

The two bosses famously came up against each other at Anfield in April 1996 when Liverpool won 4-3 in a game which has been voted the greatest in Premier League history.

Evans, who will be joined in the dugout by Phil Thompson, has already signed up Mark Wright, Ian Rush and Jason McAteer, and other stars will be confirmed over the coming weeks.

Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing And Alexander Doni In Line For LFC Debuts

Kenny Dalglish is considering handing debuts to LFC new boys Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Alexander Doni in tomorrow’s friendly at Hull City.

The trio have all trained at Melwood this week and will be added to the squad which took part in the pre-season tour of the Far East.

Downing and Doni missed the trip as they waited for their respective deals to be completed, while Henderson was granted extra time off following his exertions for England in the Under-21 European Championships.

The Reds boss will assess their fitness prior to deciding who will be in action at the KC Stadium.

“We will have a look at them and decide what’s best,” Dalglish said.

“There is certainly no rush for us to play anyone in these pre-season games.

“Stewart has been training for a fortnight and Jordan only started training on Monday.

“Everyone has trained well this week and the players are looking in good shape. Nowadays they come back looking as fit as they were before the break.

“But some have started back later than others and we have to take that into consideration.”

Pepe Reina is still recovering from a hernia operation, while Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel and Fabio Aurelio are also hampered by injuries which ruled them out of the Asia tour.

“There are a few knocks but they shouldn’t take too long to clear,” Dalglish added. “We’re certainly not going to take any risks with anyone at this stage. We don’t want to spoil anyone’s chances of being fit for the first game of the season.

“We’ve got plenty of games coming up with the trips to Turkey and Norway after Hull.”

No fewer than 23 players were involved in the game in Malaysia last Saturday and once again there will be plenty of changes.

“It’s a pre-season game and we will treat it as such,” Dalglish said. “We need to use these games to give as much benefit to as many players as we can.

“I’m not sure what the ruling will be in terms of the number of subs we can use. But we will certainly use up our full quota and field as many as possible.”

Liverpool Urged To Act Quickly As PSG Lodge Bid For French Midfielder

Liverpool must act quickly if they wish to stay in the race to sign St Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi after Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint Germain lodged a £9m offer.

The Anfield club has been strongly linked with a move for the France international with talkSPORT claiming they were prepared to pay around £8m to take him to the Premier League.

Despite being amongst the favourites to sign Matuidi, Liverpool will need to table an official and competitive offer, with negotiations thought to be underway between St Etienne and PSG.

It was revealed earlier this month by St Etienne's vice-president Roland Romeyer that Matuidi had a €15m (£13.2m) buy-out clause in his contract and the midfield enforcer would leave if a club matched that figure.

"When he extended (his contract) with a big pay rise ... we all signed an agreement with his agents for 13m Euro plus 2m Euro bonus clauses," he said.

"Below this rate, he is not allowed to leave. This is because he is not for sale. But it is obvious that if someone offers that amount, we will meet our commitments, and he will leave."

The 24-year-old's availability alerted a host of Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Newcastle as well as Liverpool.

Despite recruiting three midfielders so far this summer, Kenny Dalglish is thought to be keen on adding a defensive operator in the middle of the park and has reportedly identified Matuidi as the top choice.

An offer in the region of £10m would allow the two clubs to begin negotiations but Liverpool must be prepared to match the £13.2m buy-out clause if a bidding war with PSG ensues.