Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has labelled striker Luis Suarez as a street-fighter and has even admitted that the Uruguayan has ruined the club’s brand, but insists that he is working on his attitude on the pitch.
The controversial striker made his return last night during the club’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in the Capital One Cup, and despite missing 10-games for the side, he still started and looked dangerous at times.
The 26-year-old has had a summer to forget really after biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, he then demanded to leave the club and got caught in a war-of-words with manager Brendan Rodgers, but since then, he has promised to give his all for the club and Ayre believes he is working hard on improving.
‘Of course, any types of incident of that nature are damaging to a brand, but Liverpool Football Club is way, way bigger and always will be way bigger than any one player or one individual,” Ayre said at the Nolan Partners Sport Industry Breakfast Club.
‘What is important at those times is to ensure that we act respectfully and professionally as a football club.
‘In the past we got some of that wrong and I’d say more recently we got that right.
‘Luis is a footballer, sort of a street fighter, a larger than life character and we have seen that across not just even the Premier League but across football and other sports.
‘Nobody is condoning any bad behaviour, but it is just something you have to deal with.
‘He is what he is, is the character he is, and we have to try and harness that.’
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
