Graeme Souness the previous night handed Ronnie Whelan an unexpected Anfield lifeline after Liverpool’s clumsy victory last night. Souness emphatically denied that the absent Irish midfielder was on the transfer list and insisted:
Graeme Souness said ”Ronnie has been outstanding for many years at Anfield and, for sure, there is a way back for him into my team. “As far as I’m concerned. he’s not available for transfer. Naturally, if someone comes in with a silly offer I’ll consider it. But the same goes for any of my players. The reality is Ronnie would have been playing here tonight but he strained a few fibers in his thigh the one that has given him problems in the past during a practice match on Monday. – I’m glad to take this opportunity to say that, as far as I’m concerned. Ronnie’s future is at Liverpool. There was no mystery behind my recent decision to drop him from the team.”
Whelan seemed to be out of his way from Anfield earlier that season when reports of a rift with the manager came out and as a result, he was playing in the reserves as well being given a rolling weekly contract and it seemed as if a matter of time before his time at Merseyside would come to an end.