Souness hints at Dunn sale if right offer comes in
Souness feels Dunn has “taken his eye off the ball” this season and is disappointed with his form.
“I had a meeting with David’s agent two weeks ago and at that meeting I expressed the view that if the right offer came in for him we would listen,” Souness told Sky Sports News.
“If he left here we would be reluctant sellers. But there sometimes comes a time in a player’s career when he needs to hear a different voice, and for whatever reason we don’t think David has been at his best this season.
“He’s been disappointing this year. He’s not come anywhere near the standards he has set himself.
“Maybe in David’s case there are other things going on his life that have made him take his eye off the ball and it’s not something I’m prepared to accept.”
Dunn limped out of Tuesday’s 1-1 Worthington Cup semi-final draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford with a calf injury. He has had a scan which revealed a tear and is likely to be out for a couple of weeks.
Dunn’s team-mate Martin Taylor is under no illusions about the reception awaiting him when Rovers take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light today.
But Taylor, a lifelong Newcastle fan, is determined to ignore the taunts from the Wearside fans and extend his side’s unbeaten sequence to eight league and cup matches.
Taylor, who hails from Cramlington in Northumberland, was on the receiving end when Rovers lost 1-0 on his first visit to the Stadium of Light last season.
And he admitted: “I’ve been a Newcastle fan all my life so I know what to expect. But fortunately I’ll have a few members of my family and friends there to support me.
“I have a lot of respect for Sunderland, though. They have been a top team for a few years now and will give it everything because they are fighting for their lives at the moment.
“It’s an important game for both sides. Sunderland need to get a few points in the bag but we are on an unbeaten run and we want to keep that going.
“Since we returned to the Premiership, they have been a bit of a bogey side for us. They beat us twice last term and then held us to a goalless draw on the first day of this season.
“We didn’t get the breaks that day but we‘ve taken a lot of confidence from our last few games and hopefully we can go there and get the right result this time.”
Rovers travel north on a high after winning 4-1 at Aston Villa in the FA Cup last week before holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in their midweek Worthington Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. And 23-year-old Taylor insisted the Ewood Park side will not allow their cup exploits to distract them from their task on Wearside.
“We all know the importance of the Premiership and how much each game can mean so we will be fully focused,” said Taylor.
“Cup ties offer something completely different. They are one-off games and in some ways provide a welcome distraction. Over the last couple of years we’ve managed to combine the two pretty well.”
Like Taylor, Souness expects a hot reception from the Wearsiders.
“We won't go there as favourites,” insisted Souness, who has fit-again winger Damien Duff back in the squad after missing the last two games with back and hamstring problems.
“It will be a very difficult match. Our results against the top sides suggest we have players who enjoy the big stage and they proved it again at Old Trafford on Tuesday. There will be a similar atmosphere at Sunderland but it will be a very different game.
“We showed on Tuesday that we can compete in football terms but now we must go there and prove we can scrap. That’s what all good teams do.”
Souness reiterated his determination to fight FA misconduct charges after being reported by match officials at Rovers’ Worthington Cup tie against Wigan last month.
He faces a third touchline ban in nine months but said: “I deny the allegations strenuously and I‘ll fight it vigorously. I‘ll do everything I possibly can to prove that what the officials say is not correct and I have witnesses to back me up.
