Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has backed Kevin Doyle to recapture his best form after insisting the striker is "going nowhere" before the transfer window closes.
McCarthy believes Doyle should take heart from Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie in recovering from dips in fortune with Manchester United and Arsenal respectively and coming back stronger than ever. Doyle has lost his place to Steven Fletcher and has been linked with a move to Everton.
But McCarthy, whose side now face Liverpool at Molineux, said: "Whether there are legs or not in Everton's interest, Kevin is not going anywhere. "I'd be crackers to sell Doyle with two days left of the transfer window. Guess what, I'm not crackers! "You can't be the best player all the time.
Wayne Rooney had a dip in form, had knocks and niggles, Robin van Persie went out and came back and now he is flying again.
"It just happens and you have to get over it by continuing to do what you do when you were flying and it comes back - and will do for Kevin."
McCarthy admits he has been bemused by the number of rumours linking him with players during the past month, while midfielder Stephen Hunt is reported to a Celtic target. He said: "There are rumours going everywhere. I'm supposed to have bid £2million for Nathaniel Clyne from Crystal Palace. Where on earth has that come from?
"We tried to take him 18 months ago when he was coming out of contract and that didn't happen but there is no truth in that either regarding now.
"Hunt and Doyle are supposedly going and I'm supposed to be signing Clyne (a full-back). That will be a ready-made replacement for those two!
"I honestly doubt that there will anything be happening here at all, comings and goings. We've tried and it has not happened."
Wolves midfielder Karl Henry will be unavailable through suspension for the clash. Former skipper Henry will have to serve a three-game ban for his straight red card against Aston Villa 10 days ago. On-loan Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong has been cleared by specialists to play after suffering an eye injury against Alex McLeish's side. Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish tried to put an end to speculation about striker Andy Carroll's future after stressing there will be no transfer movement in or out of the club in the current window.
The Reds' £35million record signing has become the focal point of much speculation after enduring a difficult first year at Anfield following his move from Newcastle. Having been linked with a highly unlikely cut-price return to the Magpies, reports emerged at the weekend which claimed Manchester City had turned down an offer to swap Carroll for their wantaway striker Carlos Tevez.
Dalglish, a staunch defender of the England international, refused to comment on speculation but categorically stated there would be no activity at Anfield before the window shuts.
"There is no-one going in or out the club before the transfer window [closes]," said the Reds boss.
"I don't read the papers so I don't know [about speculation] but we have covered what we have to say.
"We don't need to justify what people are speculating about, do we?
"There is nothing happening here apart from a young goalkeeper from Wrexham, and that is the Academy. Here at Melwood there will be no-one moving in or out."
While they may have beaten the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City this season, Liverpool have lost league games to Stoke, Fulham and Bolton and drawn against Norwich, Swansea, Blackburn, Wigan and Sunderland. A
fter publicly criticising his players in their last Barclays Premier League outing at Bolton the 60-year-old does not think he needs to read the riot act before Wolves.
"I don't think we need any warnings. We have always gone in and played against any opposition and treated them with respect," he said.
"Everyone knows the Premier League is difficult and the quality of the teams there.
"There are no lesser teams for us. The only lesser teams are the ones we have just played; the next ones are the best ones because they are the ones coming up.
"That should be our attitude and philosophy as it has not served the club too badly in previous reigns so I don't see any reasons why we should change that.
"We would love to do better against teams that are below us in the league but we have to earn the right to take the points from those teams.
"If we don't play well enough or adapt well enough we won't get as many points as we would like."
Source: DSG
