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I KNOW positions have become entrenched and a lot has been said by both sides but I don’t think it’s too late for Luis Suarez to return to the fold at Liverpool.

Put it this way – I can’t see a player such as Luis taking the pitch in front of 40,000 Liverpool fans and not giving his all.

That’s the type of man he is. He has a relentless determination to be the best he can be and to perform for the crowd.

I understand the points people are making about the loyalty the club has shown him in the past and they are right to make those points.

I have no wish to revisit past controversies but we showed loyalty to him because we believed he had a case.

We did not attempt to defend the indefensible out of some blind loyalty to Luis. We did what we thought was right at the time.

The Liverpool owner, John W Henry, stated yesterday Luis is not for sale and I hope that remains the same.

But it is also worth pointing out that transfers are part of the fabric of football. Players come and players go.

I would never have arrived at Liverpool if it were not for the transfer system.

The club is the important thing. It is the club that remains. The club and the supporters.

I have read all the stuff about clauses in his contract and a bid over £40million triggering negotiations in good faith.

I have no idea at all of the truth of that but one point I’d make – if that form of words is there, does bidding £1 over the price constitute ‘good faith’?

Again, I hope Luis stays. But if he is sold, I don’t think there is any way he’ll go to Arsenal.

Liverpool can’t afford to do that. One of the club’s main ambitions this season is to qualify for the Champions League.

Selling Luis to Arsenal would weaken Liverpool and strengthen one of our closest rivals. I just can’t see it.

As the owner suggested, he will do everything in his power to stop him being sold there.

Look at what happened to Arsenal last season when they did something similar with Robin Van Persie.

They sold him to Manchester United and the Old Trafford side won the title with his goals. They ran away with the league.

If Arsenal had even half of his goals, think of how different their season could have been.

The danger for Liverpool is clubs who want to sign Luis will leave it as late as possible so he can serve part of his ban while he is still at Anfield.

There is a worry a suitor might try to take the transfer down to the wire on deadline day and sign Luis then.

That’s another reason why what the owner said yesterday made sense. It has already got to the point where Liverpool will find it very hard to replace Luis for this season even if he were to be sold tomorrow.

It is well-nigh impossible to replace a player such as Luis man-for-man anyway. You’d have to get two or three players in to make up for his loss.

I think there’s still room for optimism about the situation as far as Liverpool are concerned. I cannot see Luis pulling on a Liverpool shirt and not giving everything in his body for the club.

I’d like to see the club and the player call it quits and try to thrash something out for everyone’s benefit.

I don’t think it’s too late. Time will tell.

My home pride

I PLAYED for Scotland against England in the summer of 1978.

It was our last home international that season and we had only managed draws against Northern Ireland and Wales.

We lost to England. At the end, my Liverpool team-mate Emlyn Hughes came up to me with a grin on his face and said: “Just two points from three games.”

“I know,” I said. “And if you’d got two more points in qualifying, you’d be going to the World Cup in Argentina next month like us.”

England-Scotland games were great occasions for players and supporters.

The demands of world football have superseded the home internationals.

But I’m looking forward to the game at Wembley on Wednesday.