Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has warned Manchester United off making a bid to sign goalkeeper Jose Reina next summer.
The 28-year-old Spain international is reportedly interesting United as they prepare for the likely retirement of Edwin van der Sar, but Hodgson is in no mood to part with one of his star players.
He told the Daily Echo:"It was just one of those stories that seems to occur – it's just disappointing and annoying. Pepe is fantastic here, he is a lifeblood of this team.
"Everything he does around the club is excellent – he is always lively in the dressing room, he is always first-class in training and he always wants to do more to improve.
"He demands better from those around him, he is always pushing people on. He is a player who we hold in the highest esteem.
"We have heard nothing from Manchester United and, more to the point, we don't want to hear anything from Manchester United.
"If Sir Alex Ferguson is looking around at the end of the season and he has got lots of money to replace Edwin van der Sar, he might very well want Pepe Reina because he is the best around.
"But we do not want to sell him. I would like to think that we are going to become a successful club once again and Pepe is crucial to that."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email