The 26-year-old indicated that he will be staying at Anfield, while he admitted his pain at missing the Merseyside derby with Everton through suspension

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has indicated that he intends to remain at Anfield despite his latest moment of controversy.
The Uruguayan received a 10-match ban for biting the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during the 2-2 draw in April, with the forward set to miss a significant chunk of the start of next season.

Reports suggested the incident might force the 26-year-old to leave the Premier League club, coming as it did after a string of earlier controversial events. However, the player has once again committed himself to the Reds.

“I have a deal with Liverpool and this is my present and future,” he was quoted as saying by The Sun.

The former Ajax man will be unavailable because of his suspension for Sunday’s Merseyside derby with Everton, and although he admitted his disappointment at missing the clash, the attacker is confident his team-mates will do the job.

“From the day I arrived, I saw how special this derby is, so it is a pain to miss it,” added Suarez – who has netted 23 league goals this term but like other nominees was beaten to the PFA Player of the Year award by Gareth Bale.

“But we have a big squad which can function without me.”

The Reds boss is in no doubt that his side are still the “top club” in the city, before labelling Jordan Henderson a “bargain” and lavishing praise upon Stewart Downing

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has denied any notions of a power shift on Merseyside ahead of their Premier League clash with Everton on Sunday.

The Toffees sit a place above their neighbours ahead of the derby with five points separating the two sides, and a defeat would ensure that David Moyes’ men finish higher than the Reds for the second consecutive season.

Rodgers, however, is adamant that Liverpool are still the “top club” on Merseyside, while he also admitted that this season has served as a base for next term, where he expects his team to challenge at the top of the table.

“I don’t believe there is a power shift on Merseyside. This is a club which traditionally has been the top side. It is still the top club here,” he told The Daily Mirror.

“Everton finished above us last year and have had a good season this year. We ­obviously want to improve next year. I believe we are in the process of doing that. This was the year for building the base. Then next year we have to really push on and find that consistency.

“We have become better and better this season and hopefully the group will have started next season in a positive way. With reinforcements in the summer, that will give us the depth to maintain the standard. If we do that, we’ll be up there challenging, I have no doubt about that.”

Rodgers also praised two players that have come under heavy criticism during their Liverpool careers; describing Jordan Henderson a “bargain” and comparing Stewart Downing to Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.

“Jordan Henderson has been outstanding. There’s no doubt that in the next two or three years his fee of £16 million will prove a bargain. He has good style and stature. ­Mentally he’s tough and he has good technique – just look at his goals and some of his ­finishing,” he continued.

“Look at Stewart Downing’s work ethic, up and down the line, and his creation of chances. He knows he needs to score more goals, but he’s working, pressing and running. People looked to Ribery and Robben during the week, and with all due respect Stewart is putting in a shift for our team.”

The Liverpool boss praises the Reds legend, who is set to play against Everton for the last time before retiring at the end of the season after 16 years’ service to the club

Brendan Rodgers has heaped praise on Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher ahead of the Merseyside derby, which will be the last one for the Englishman ahead of his retirement at the end of the season.

The 35-year-old is set to play his 30th and final derby at Anfield on Sunday and the Northern Irishman is certain that the local boy will try his best to ensure that it provides a win.

“I’m sure he’ll want to play his last derby and finish on a high,” Rodgers told reporters.

“Everton is a massive game for him. He’s a boy from the city and he loves it, the derby. So does Steven Gerrard but these are guys that have shown passion in every single game.

“They want to win every game but obviously this adds that wee bit for them because they’re local boys.”

The Liverpool boss also admitted that he will have trouble trying to replace the club legend, whom he believes could play beyond the end of the season despite Carragher’s intention to retire and take up TV punditry.

“I can’t think of enough words to describe him – his performance level has been incredible,” Rodgers enthused. “It was always his dream to go out at the top and he’s fulfilling that dream because he’s a top operator at this level at the moment.

“But his concentration has only been on the games [this season] and no further than Everton.

“Away at Newcastle, you saw how he marshalled the defence and the way he has played recently, everything about his game has been at the top level. It’s a shame [he is retiring] because he probably could play on but he has already made his mind up.”