Jamie Carragher has told any players who wish to leave Liverpool that they should go if they are not committed to the club's future, a message which suggests he does not think the Reds will be served by Fernando Torres or Javier Mascherano staying under sufferance next season.
As Carragher's manager, Rafael Benitez, provided the first firm indication yesterday that he is preparing to take the biggest gamble of his 24-year managerial career by staying in place for the challenging battle ahead at Anfield, the defender made it clear he expects commitment from all quarters as Liverpool strive to "get back", as he put it.
Torres is a £60m player whom Roberto Mancini has made it clear he would dearly love to sign for Manchester City but he is not bigger than his current club, Carragher insisted. "The people who want to be there will come back," the 32-year-old said. "If people don’t then no problem. There will always be a Liverpool Football Club. People always talk about players leaving, about 'is this the end of Liverpool?' No chance. Better players than the ones we have now have left and we have replaced them. Anyone who doesn't want to be there, no problem, but we'll start next season with the players who want to do well."
Quite what Carragher has made of Benitez's representatives' choreographed dalliance with Juventus over the past few months does not need much imagination, but Torres has also hinted at dissatisfaction – publicly declaring that Liverpool require "four or five" new players" this summer to compete at the top of the Premier League – and Mascherano painted a graphic picture of his family's unhappy life in Liverpool last weekend. Liverpool can take some comfort from Barcelona concluding the £30m purchase of David Villa yesterday, which seems to rules out one possible destination for Torres, while some sources at Chelsea have suggested the club's interest in Torres is less substantial than has been reported. Torres will look painfully of out place in July's Europa League qualifying round, but Steven Gerrard's appetite for more struggles is also questionable and Yossi Benayoun has been equivocal about his whereabouts beyond this summer.
But Carragher, a part of whose heart was with his beloved club side even as he discussed the recall to the England set-up after a three-year absence, said he is expecting a summer of "negativity" where Liverpool are concerned and wants to put it behind him to get on with the next campaign. "As soon as [Liverpool's last game of the season] at Hull finished I wished the start of next season was the next day," Carragher said. "The best thing is to forget it and get on with it. I know what it's like on the back of a poor season. There's a lot of negativity all summer. We've had it all season and I'm sure we will again through the summer.
"During the World Cup I want to enjoy [international football] and do well but I also want to go back to Liverpool and do well there and get the club back where it wants to be. I just want us to get back. People will come back at different stages."
Carragher expects Benitez to be in situ – "Yes, I think so. He's said nothing to me to say he won't be," the defender said – and the Spaniard bore out that opinion. "My future is Liverpool, I have four more years of my contract and I want to complete them. I hope to make this team competitive again," Benitez said.
As Carragher's manager, Rafael Benitez, provided the first firm indication yesterday that he is preparing to take the biggest gamble of his 24-year managerial career by staying in place for the challenging battle ahead at Anfield, the defender made it clear he expects commitment from all quarters as Liverpool strive to "get back", as he put it.
Torres is a £60m player whom Roberto Mancini has made it clear he would dearly love to sign for Manchester City but he is not bigger than his current club, Carragher insisted. "The people who want to be there will come back," the 32-year-old said. "If people don’t then no problem. There will always be a Liverpool Football Club. People always talk about players leaving, about 'is this the end of Liverpool?' No chance. Better players than the ones we have now have left and we have replaced them. Anyone who doesn't want to be there, no problem, but we'll start next season with the players who want to do well."
Quite what Carragher has made of Benitez's representatives' choreographed dalliance with Juventus over the past few months does not need much imagination, but Torres has also hinted at dissatisfaction – publicly declaring that Liverpool require "four or five" new players" this summer to compete at the top of the Premier League – and Mascherano painted a graphic picture of his family's unhappy life in Liverpool last weekend. Liverpool can take some comfort from Barcelona concluding the £30m purchase of David Villa yesterday, which seems to rules out one possible destination for Torres, while some sources at Chelsea have suggested the club's interest in Torres is less substantial than has been reported. Torres will look painfully of out place in July's Europa League qualifying round, but Steven Gerrard's appetite for more struggles is also questionable and Yossi Benayoun has been equivocal about his whereabouts beyond this summer.
But Carragher, a part of whose heart was with his beloved club side even as he discussed the recall to the England set-up after a three-year absence, said he is expecting a summer of "negativity" where Liverpool are concerned and wants to put it behind him to get on with the next campaign. "As soon as [Liverpool's last game of the season] at Hull finished I wished the start of next season was the next day," Carragher said. "The best thing is to forget it and get on with it. I know what it's like on the back of a poor season. There's a lot of negativity all summer. We've had it all season and I'm sure we will again through the summer.
"During the World Cup I want to enjoy [international football] and do well but I also want to go back to Liverpool and do well there and get the club back where it wants to be. I just want us to get back. People will come back at different stages."
Carragher expects Benitez to be in situ – "Yes, I think so. He's said nothing to me to say he won't be," the defender said – and the Spaniard bore out that opinion. "My future is Liverpool, I have four more years of my contract and I want to complete them. I hope to make this team competitive again," Benitez said.
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