by Ciggy » Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:10 am
Benitez concern over Diao's lack of playing timeSep 15 2006
By Nick Smith, Daily Post
RAFAEL BENITEZ has expressed his concern that Salif Diao will be difficult to sell when the transfer window re-opens in January.
Diao is facing more than three months out of action following his failure to secure a move to a new club in the summer - something which could drastically reduce his market value.
The Senegal midfielder is not in Benitez's first team plans, and the Liverpool manager would rather see a reserve team centred on young players trying to make the grade.
Diao is in the final year of his contract and despite there being little prospect of him playing football while he stays at Anfield, he is still in full training and staying in shape.
But he is set for more than three months with little or no opportunity to put himself in the shop window for the next round of transfer dealings in January.
And Benitez is frustrated that the difficulty in offloading Diao will only increase in the winter - as well as him taking up valuable space on the wage bill.
He said: "Sometimes it depends on the people around the players, and if they have good advice or bad advice or bad advisors.
"In this case, I think that as a player the most important thing is to play. If you don't play, you cannot show other people what you can do.
"He is fit, he is training normally, and it is not a problem. He is a very good professional and is training every day without a problem.
"But without games, other teams cannot see this. We will see how we can use Salif, and it's a possibility he can play for the reserves.
"But we have young players in the reserves, and if it's a choice between using young players and senior players, I would say to Gary (Ablett) to use the young players."
Diao, 29, joined Liverpool in the summer of 2002 from French club Sedan, after an impressive showing in the World Cup when Senegal got to the quarter-finals.
The £5million signing played 26 Premiership games that year but has made only 11 since, his last coming at Norwich in January 2005.
Diao spent most of last season on loan at Portsmouth and an attempt to join Charlton Athletic in the summer fell through.
Benitez was happy for him to go at the right price, but a move that was lined up for Diao to join Spanish side Recreativo, who also signed Florent Sinama-Pongolle from Liverpool, also collapsed.
"I was talking with Recreativo and everything was almost done, but then at the last minute things changed," said Benitez.
There is no-one anywhere in the world at any stage who is any bigger or any better than this football club.
Kenny Dalglish 1/2/2011
REST IN PEACE PHIL, YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
, even the young kids are intention for a start before him.
??
!!! We all should thank houllier for this 
