• Premier League

Suarez to debut new knitted boots

Brendan Rodgers insists he is absolutely fine with Luis Suarez playing in the world's first knitted boots - as long as the striker scores the goals to aid Liverpool's title push.

Suarez is set to play in the new boots, made by adidas, for the first time when he faces Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Suarez, the Premier League's leading scorer with 24, ended a run of five games without a goal by finding the net in a 3-0 win at Southampton on March 1.

Rodgers will be happy if he strikes again at Old Trafford for a team lying second in the Premier League with 10 games to play.

"If he scores goals, then it doesn't matter," Rodgers said. "I spoke to him a couple of days ago on it. It's an individual thing. Players now wear what they want to wear. As long as they get the get the job done, that's the important thing."

Luis Suarez will wear knitted boots against Manchester United © Getty Images

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Liverpool will play their first match in 15 days when they visit Old Trafford, having been scheduled to face Sunderland, who were instead involved in the FA Cup. That match has since been rearranged for March 26.

The manager gave his players five days off during that break to recharge their batteries, but midfielder Lucas Leiva and centre-back Mamadou Sakho both chose to stay at the club's Melwood training ground and work on their fitness.

Lucas has been out of action since suffering medial knee ligament damage during the 2-2 draw at home to Aston Villa on January 18, while Sakho has not figured since picking up a hamstring injury in the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on December 29.

"Lucas Leiva and young Sakho are back in, and it's a great credit to them, because when I gave the players the time off, they actually wanted to stay behind," Rodgers said.

"That shows you the commitment of this squad here, because they had an opportunity to take a break. They've been working very, very hard with the medical team.

"But they decided to stay, and last Friday they got in a car and travelled down themselves to London to play in an Under-21 game at West Ham. They both came through that fine, and then they've trained very well this week, so they both come into the squad."

Left-back Jose Enrique, though, remains absent with the knee injury that has kept him out since early November.

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