Daniel Agger wants to stay at Anfield, says Brendan Rodgers

Published on 17/08/2012 00:24

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has stressed both he and defender Daniel Agger see the player remaining at the club.

However, the future of Andy Carroll remains less favourable after the Northern Irishman admitted he would prefer to tinker with his preferred way of playing before using the England striker’s obvious strengths in the air as a Plan B.

Agger has two years remaining on his contract but has been the subject of two serious enquiries from Premier League champions Manchester City. 
Despite Rodgers admitting a week ago that “every player has his price and we will see where it goes” he insists Agger is one he intends to keep.

“For me there has been no big change. The first point is we don’t want to sell him,” said Rodgers. “Secondly, I believe he will be a player who will thrive in this way of working and thirdly he doesn’t want to leave – which is a great help as well. He is a top player and I want to keep him here.

“Over the last couple of months we have been able to sell the project and vision to a number of senior players. They are very happy to move forward with it and I would expect Daniel to be the same. He made that clear in the very first conversation we had that he wanted to be part of our revolution here in terms of moving forward and he hasn’t wavered from that in any single way whatsoever.”

The situation is different for Carroll, who has attracted interest from former club Newcastle and West Ham. It is clear he will not be first choice as he does not fit into Rodgers’ passing and pressing gameplan which he developed so well at former club Swansea and has now 
introduced at Anfield. And while he still believes that the England 
international can be effective for them he suggested it would be a while before he changed his principles and went for the 
alternative option.

“He knows where he stands. He is an important part of our group and that is how I see it at the moment,” added Rodgers. “If you are a team that puts crosses in and are firing them in from all angles he is a great player in the box.

“Naturally his height and his power gives him that strength but if you play a different style it is that much more difficult.