Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has revealed that he thought striker Luis Suarez was going to leave the club this summer in order to play Champions League football.
The 26-year-old asked the club to leave earlier on in the summer and even admitted that he would love to play for Spanish giants Real Madrid.
However, only one club made formal bids for Suarez, and that club was Arsenal.
The Gunners made two bids for the Uruguayan, but both were quickly rejected by The Reds and eventually, Suarez had no choice but to remain at Anfield.
The club’s captain, Steven Gerrard, has revealed that he thought the striker was going to leave in the summer.
Asked if he thought he had played his last game with Suarez, Gerrard said: “Every day in the summer.
“When you have a player as good as Luis Suarez, you know that the big clubs are going to want him.”
Gerrard added he was “waking up every morning, hoping that nothing would happen and that he would still be here”.
“Nobody tried harder than me to make him stay and he knows exactly what I think of him.
“I knew if we could keep him here, the better our chances would be.
“He is a special type of footballer and he gives us something different.
“When the club got the message to him that they were not going to sell him, he got his head down and has worked hard. He has never given us a moment’s problem.
“I think it is a credit to Luis for the way he has come back. A lot of players who have been in his position might have come back and spat the dummy out, not trying for the team. But he is not that type of guy.
“He realised that the club wanted to keep him and he has respected their decision. He is here now and he wants to stay. He wants to achieve something this season and he looks as hungry as he has ever done.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
