Parry blasts Neill

Liverpool chief Rick Parry has blasted Lucas Neill for the comments he made regarding the lack of contact he had with the club before deciding to join West Ham.

Aussie international Neill said that Reds manager Rafael Benitez didn’t contact him to discuss the transfer to Anfield and if he was to do so he might have chosen to move to Merseyside.

Parry refuted the claim saying: “I don’t know who was on the other end of the telephone talking to Rafa when I was sitting next to him, but I’m quite sure it was Lucas Neill.

“In the first instance, Neill had the choice between Liverpool and West Ham and we were offering the chance of Champions League football.

“What we want are players with an instinctive desire to play for Liverpool.

“We want people with a real passion to help us win trophies.

“Clearly there will always be an opportunity for them to earn well if they do well. But at the end of the day it’s up to an individual to decide what’s best for their career. From our side, we never want to be in a position where someone is only coming for the money.

“A player has to be driven by something more than that. It’s Neill’s decision and it’s his future. It’s happened before and will happen again.”