Suarez is going nowhere!

John W Henry has made it clear Liverpool have no intentions of selling Luis Suarez as he reaffirmed Fenway Sports Group’s commitment to the club.

The Uruguay striker will miss the friendly in Oslo against Valerenga after he was left out of the 21-man squad that left Liverpool because of a foot problem.

Manager Brendan Rodgers had no option but to leave Suarez behind after he was sent in early from training at Melwood Tuesday lunchtime, having struggled to complete a warm up jog and a series of shuttle sprints. He was subsequently sent for a scan.

Ruled out: Luis Suarez will not play against Valerenga after being ruled out with an injury

Going nowhere: Liverpool owner John W Henry insisted the striker will not leave Anfield

Suarez had complained of a problem in his foot following an open training session at Anfield on Monday and Rodgers quickly accepted there was no need to persist with running him, as he is not available for the start of the new season. 

‘Luis picked up an injury in the open training session at Anfield on Monday and along with a number of other players, we decided this game was too much of a risk for him,’ Rodgers said on arrival in Oslo.

‘I will tell you what I have been saying about him all summer. He is an incredible player. On the field he is a fighter. He wants to win and he showed that last season. We have had a couple of bids from one club, which has been nowhere near the valuation of what he is worth.

‘This is a football club and a city that has stood by him in some of the darkest moments of his career. I have a responsibility to look after all the players.’ 

Strong stance: Liverpool bosses have been vehement in their belief that Suarez will stay with the club

The 26-year-old’s future, though, continues to be the subject of great speculation. Arsenal are the only club to have made a bid for him this summer – both offers were instantly rejected – and there has been no sign of them improving their £40,000,001 offer, made two weeks ago.

Arsenal’s interest, however, is not waning and there is a belief at The Emirates that their pursuit will reach a successful conclusion. 

Liverpool have taken a robust stance throughout, with Rodgers adamant that he is not going to leave and Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner and the figurehead of FSG, backed up his manager’s view in Norway last night.

‘I don't know why people ask us if we are selling the club or the best players because we are not,’ said Henry, who will attend a Liverpool match this evening for the first time in 13 months. ‘We like to buy stuff, not to sell. We are not selling our best player.’ 

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It is not the first time Henry has spoken out on the subject of Suarez’s future. When Arsenal made their offer of £40million with an extra £1, in the hope of triggering a clause in Suarez’s contract, Henry tweeted: ‘What have they been smoking over there at Emirates?’ 

Though Suarez, Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel miss out, the game will provide Joe Allen – last summer’s big arrival – to build on his encouraging form. The £15million midfielder endured a troubled first year at Anfield but has now fully recovered from shoulder surgery. 

‘My challenge is to get back playing at the level I was at early last season,’ said Allen. ‘That's the plan. I managed to hit the ground running when I first signed. Things didn't carry on like that but from the first minute this season I want to give my best and produce good performances for the team.’