Friday, 4th April, 2014
Ahead of Liverpool's visit to West Ham on Sunday, boss Brendan Rodgers has insisted that Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing were not sold purely for footballing reasons, with each good enough to play for the Reds.
Both Carroll and Downing were signed by Rodgers' predecessor at Anfield, Kenny Dalglish, but both then sold to West Ham during the Northern Irishman's reign.
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Now the pair could combine to do real damage to Liverpool's Premier League title bid this weekend, but Rodgers has been keen not to add to their motivation, stressing he rates both as very good players.
"Both players are fantastic players", the Liverpool manager told a press conference.
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"Andy wasn't let go from here because he wasn't good enough. I think he's one of the best players in Europe in how he plays. That style, attacking the ball in the air, he is outstanding.
"Everyone knows the way I work. It was never to say Andy couldn't work that way, but he needed to play.
"We had other financial aspects of the football club that we had to look at.
"And I made it clear at the time and I will make it clear again that I didn't want to sell Stewart.
"By then he had progressed to become a very important player of the squad. But the money we were offered for him was going to help in getting other players in for our philosophy and our journey."
Carroll was on the scoresheet in West Ham's last game, a win away at Sunderland on Monday evening which leaves the Hammers sitting eleventh in the Premier League with 37 points.
They will bid to follow that up by downing Rodgers' Liverpool on Sunday.
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