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Liverpool legend Phil Thompson believes the club will cope just fine without talisman Luis Suarez next season.
Suarez is widely expected to leave Anfield this summer, with Barcelona his most likely destination, but Thompson is adamant the club can again challenge for honours without the potent Uruguayan up front.
The 27-year-old scored 31 Premier League goals last season, despite missing five games through suspension, and helped the Reds secure a Champions League berth for the first time since 2009.
"Liverpool Football Club is bigger than any individual," Thompson told the Liverpool Echo.
"Players will always move on but this club will still be here in another 100 years time.”
Thompson, who said at the time the actions of Suarez in Brazil had brought shame on Liverpool, believes it is the younger supporters who will feel the deepest sense of loss if the Premier League’s 2013-14 top scorer quits Merseyside.
Barca's charm offensive to lure Luis Suarez from Liverpool
But the 60-year-old former defender insists the club ‘has a habit’ of unearthing top talent.
He added: “From speaking to supporters, I think it’s the younger element of our fanbase who are particularly upset about the prospect of Luis Suarez going to Barcelona.”
“They are more ready and willing to forgive and forget everything he’s done. I do sympathise with that as Suarez is the star player.
“Of course if he went there would be a big gap to fill. He either scored or was involved in 43% of our goals last season.
“As a fan you wonder where the next star is going to come from? But what I would say is that this football club has a habit of producing them."
