Kenny keeps quiet on deal

PERHAPS it was an unofficial competition between the two, but Kenny Dalglish and John W Henry appeared to be trying to outdo each other in attempting to playing down any potential developments over extending the Scot’s tenure at Liverpool.

A rare public utterance from Anfield’s billionaire owner failed to shed much light on the current state of play, as did the latest update by the taciturn Glaswegian. However, in the wake of an impressive run that has gleaned 20 points from 10 games to rekindle hope of European qualification, it’s a reasonable assumption the 60-year-old’s future at the helm is likely to last beyond his current agreement until the end of the season.

“What’s going on in that regard is private,” Henry, the Boston-based businessman insisted after taking in Liverpool’s comfortable 2-0 victory at Sunderland thanks to goals by Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez, the first game the 61-year-old has attended outside Merseyside. He added: “It’s something called the Liverpool way and you do these things behind closed doors. I’m not going to talk about these things, but he’s done very well.”