Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has warned Manchester United not to bother trying to sign goalkeeper Pepe Reina as he is "crucial" to the Reds.
Recent reports have claimed Sir Alex Ferguson was lining up a swoop for Reina as a long-term replacement for Edwin van der Sar.
But Hodgson has rejected the rumours and insists the 28-year-old, who only signed a new six-year deal in April, is staying at Anfield.
Hodgson told the Liverpool Echo: "We have heard nothing from Manchester United and, more to the point, we don't want to hear anything from Manchester United.
"If Ferguson is looking around at the end of the season and he has got lots of money to replace 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.
"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."
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Recent reports have claimed Sir Alex Ferguson was lining up a swoop for Reina as a long-term replacement for Edwin van der Sar.
But Hodgson has rejected the rumours and insists the 28-year-old, who only signed a new six-year deal in April, is staying at Anfield.
Hodgson told the Liverpool Echo: "We have heard nothing from Manchester United and, more to the point, we don't want to hear anything from Manchester United.
"If Ferguson is looking around at the end of the season and he has got lots of money to replace 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.
"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."
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