Brendan Rodgers has dismissed any notion that Luis Suarez could get fed up with English football — claiming the striker loves playing for Liverpool.
Former Red John Aldridge suggested on Tuesday that Suarez could become disillusioned with life in the Barclays Premier League, citing media coverage and poor refereeing decisions as reasons the Uruguayan might want to play elsewhere.
The comments were put to Rodgers at his pre-Swansea news conference — and the reply was emphatic.
"He loves playing in English football," said the boss. "I speak with Luis regularly and he loves the passion and excitement of the game over here.
"He is a player who's mentally very strong, as you can see from his time here with the amount of stick he's taken.
"It's actually a driver for him. It really motivates him.
"He loves being at Liverpool. He loves the city, he loves the club and he loves the supporters, so I can't see that happening."
Suarez scored one, made another and had a last-minute winner disallowed in Sunday's Merseyside derby — proof yet again that he is a world-class talent, according to his manager.
"I thought he was outstanding," said Rodgers. "He's just a breath of fresh air, his enthusiasm. He's our only fit striker here.
"He was tireless against Reading, we had to play a strong team in order to get a result against Anzhi, and I think many people thought the condition of the team and him in particular up front would maybe waver a bit, but the condition of the group and him in particular was amazing.
"He's a wonderful talent. He'll always provoke comments both positive and negative but the bottom line is he's a fantastic player. He scores goals, his goals to games ratio this season is fantastic.
"He's inspirational for the group because he works hard every day and his quality at that top end of the field — he genuinely is a world-class striker.
"It's a real privilege to work with that quality every day."
The decision to disallow Suarez's winner at Goodison followed a late — and incorrect — flag for offside.
Linesman Simon Bennett will now not officiate in the Premier League this weekend.
"That's a decision taken by the people in charge of his organisation," added Rodgers when questioned by journalists. "It is clear that it was a poor decision and only Simon Bennett will know why he's given the decision.
"It's disappointing for him. I was in the dressing room afterwards with the officials and I could see he was very disappointed with the decision he's made, because in their life and in their profession it's probably the easiest decision that you'll get to make.
"Normally the ball is fizzing about and there are three or four quick passes and someone is trying to break a line to get in. That can be a really difficult one. But this was a decision that I'm sure from an official's perspective was quite simple.
"You could actually see the ball and the line at the same time, you've got the reference of the defender, Distin, and then you've got the six-yard line as well, which is a good reference for you.
"It was disappointing to say the least because it cost us two points, which would have been an important two points.
"But everybody makes mistakes, so we move on."
