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Brendan Rodgers: 'Luis Suarez will accept Liverpool stay'

By Joe Fish, Reporter | 09 August 2013

Brendan Rodgers insists that Luis Suarez will repeat his form from last season, once he accepts that he will not be leaving Liverpool for Arsenal this summer.

Brendan Rodgers has reiterated that Luis Suarez will not leave Liverpool and expects the wantaway forward to feature prominently again when he returns from his suspension.

The Uruguayan is trying to force through a move to Arsenal, who have had two bids rejected for his services, but the Reds are adamant that they will not sell their star asset, who scored 23 times in the 2012-2013 Premier League campaign.

Suarez will miss the first six games of Liverpool's new season as he completes his ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, but Rodgers is convinced that the striker will accept that his immediate future is at Anfield and contribute as greatly as he did last year.

"Luis is training on his own and he understands totally where we're coming from," Rodgers said. "It's been a difficult period for him but it's my job to protect the group.

"Once he's back with the spirit he'll rejoin the group. We're quite calm. The club is in control of the situation. We've got no inclination to sell and we've been strong on that.

"Luis has fought for his life for Liverpool. There will come a point where he'll recognise the club is not going to sell and then he goes onto the pitch and he'll give 100 per cent. He's a world class striker. I've got no question that when he's back he'll have a similar impact [to last season]."

Suarez has claimed that Liverpool are breaching his contract by refusing to allow him talks with Arsenal, and has been training away from the first-team squad this week.