As Suarez again demands to walk away, here's why Liverpool must now wash their hands of this petulant, ungrateful and selfish man

On the ball: Suarez has told Liverpool that he wants to leave after saying the club failed to keep their promise

 Luis Suarez shattered any prospect of his wrangle with Liverpool having a satisfactory outcome on Tuesday night when he decided to air his grievances; broken promises were cited, perspective was called for and, ultimately, demands were made.

The aim, clearly, was to get Suarez a step closer to Arsenal. All that was achieved, though, in an interview with two broadsheets newspapers, was that Uruguay striker was made to look desperate, petulant, ungrateful and selfish.

THE KEY QUOTES FROM SUAREZ

'I'm 26. I need to be playing in the Champions League. I waited one year and no one can say that I did not give everything possible to get us there.'
'I have the club's word and we have the written contract and we are happy to take this to the Premier League for them to decide the case but I do not want it to come to that.'
'They gave me their word a year ago and now I want them to honour that. And it is not just something verbal with the coach but something that is written in the contract. I'm not going to another club to hurt Liverpool.'

There are ways and means of securing a route out of a football club but the manner in which Suarez has gone about things this summer has been totally the wrong; this episode marks the nadir of a saga that has run and run.

One can only assume what Brendan Rodgers thought when he poured over the rhetoric that Suarez spouted, the accusations that Liverpool “went back on commitments” and that the manager has not been true to his word.

To put things into context, consider this: Suarez took part briefly in Liverpool’s training session at Melwood on Tuesday afternoon, jogging gingerly alongside Sebastian Coates and Philippe Coutinho as the squad warmed up before taking part In some shuttle sprints.

His injured foot would not stand up to the pressure, so Rodgers decided enough was enough and cut Suarez some slack, sending him into the main pavilion at Melwood to be assessed by the medical staff. He was then sent to go for a scan to ascertain the extent of the damage.

Crocked: Luis Suarez will not play against Valerenga on Wednesday night after being ruled out with an injury

 

Yet as his colleague took off to go to Norway, where they will play Valerenga on Wednesday night, Suarez took aim and unleashed his grievances.

He claims he has told Rodgers all about how he is feeling and why he wants to go. Rodgers has so far refused to reveal anything about 'private conversations'.

At the Ullevaal Stadium, that may change. Liverpool would be well within their rights to fine Suarez now, as he has failed to show the conduct expected of a club employee. He has challenged authority and wants things his own way.

That he has even felt it necessary to suggest he will get the PFA and Premier League involved – we should not be surprised by this as he sought arbitration to engineer a move from Gronigen to Ajax – is possibly the things which will most startle Liverpool supporters.

Liverpool, do not forget, have come in for criticism like never before in their 121-year history due to Suarez: the staunch defending of him after the racism clash with Patrice Evra, the t-shirts they wore in support of him at Wigan, the backing after the biting of Branislav Ivanovic. It has all left a stain.

Does it mean anything to him? The only conclusion can be ‘no’. When he was feted at Steven Gerrard’s testimonial on Saturday, there was no acknowledgement to The Kop; the same was true when he took part in an open training session at Anfield on Monday.

Waiting in the wings: Suarez has played a bit-part role for Liverpool during pre-season

Zip it: Suarez has sounded off about his desire to quit Anfield

After he joined up with Liverpool on their club tour last month, the initial brightness and bonhomie he showed at AAMI Stadium in his first training session, slowly drained away. The concocted £40,000,001 bid from Arsenal to trigger a clause in his contract messed with his head.

Perhaps he thought by now that some of the continent’s finest names would be forming an orderly queue for his services; that Juventus would return or Paris Saint-Germain would show an interest or Real Madrid would take him to the Spanish capital.

Will he get his wish? Liverpool could easily sit tight, keep him at the club and reintegrate him once he has served the remaining six matches of his ban for biting Ivanovic.

Reality, however, suggests this marriage must end in divorce.

And with that, it is worth remembering what Rodgers said in the moments after Suarez sank his teeth into Ivanovic on April 21.

‘Players are always replaceable,’ Rodgers explained. ‘It doesn't matter how good they think they are. Football is how it works. There are wonderful talents here, but we've shown over the years – this club and others – if you lose a player and think you can't replace him, the next one comes along.’

Liverpool will move on: and it has to be without Luis Suarez.

Lonely place: Arsene Wenger has so far been unable to seriously strengthen his squad this summer