Martinez: I turned down Liverpool job

Roberto Martinez has added to the pressure on Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers after the first game of the season by revealing that he was the club’s first choice to take over from Kenny Dalglish this summer.

The Wigan coach has claimed he was made an offer by Liverpool’s owners, despite Reds chairman Tom Werner insisting that Rodgers was “the only person we made an offer to… our first choice and the right choice”.

Rodgers got off to a terrible start to his Liverpool career, with Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion, whose own coach, Steve Clarke, was Dalglish’s assistant at Anfield last season.