Alan Pardew has denied that he agreed to leave Loic Remy out of the final game of the Premier League season.
According to reports, the on-loan striker has claimed that the Newcastle United manager allowed him to be rested against Liverpool because there was nothing riding on the game for the Magpies.
However, the manager said in a statement: "Following media reports concerning my player selection for our final game of the season against Liverpool, any suggestion that I colluded and agreed with our loan striker, Loic Remy, that he did not have to play in this game are wholly untrue.
"To suggest that I considered there to be nothing riding on that game is also completely false. Our final league position was at stake, as was the race for the Barclays Premier League title for our opponents, Liverpool.
"The reality was that Loic had sustained an ankle injury in our game against Cardiff the previous week. The results of an MRI scan conducted after that fixture revealed ligament damage and swelling around the joint. Had Loic been fit then clearly, without question, he would have been selected to play in what was a crucial game like every other."
Newcastle lost the game at Anfield 2-1, ensuring that they finished 10th in the table.
Sian Cowper
