Enrique Absence Has Fans Wondering

Alan Pardew has insisted unsettled Jose Enrique's absence from his team against Sporting Kansas City was simply down to injury and the player is not "on strike". The defender wasn’t involved in the goalless draw at the Livestrong Sporting Park on the day it was suggested Liverpool were finally ready to firm up their interest in him. However, Pardew said Enrique’s absence had nothing to do with an impending transfer away from St James’s Park, though the 25-year-old seems almost certain to leave the club he has served for the past four years. Alan Pardew: “Jose got a knock in training – there’s nothing suspicious about that. “He has a hamstring knock - he’s suffered with his hamstring before.”