Diouf loses Liverpool shirt

By Nick Cavell
BBC Sport

El Hadji Diouf is yet to get a new squad number at Liverpool

With less than one month to the start of the new English Premiership season, Senegal's El Hadji Diouf has yet to be assigned a squad number at Liverpool.

The former African Player of the Year wore the number nine jersey last season but that jersey has now been allocated to new signing Djibril Cisse.

The 22-year-old Frenchman joined Liverpool from Auxerre for a fee believed to be about £14m (US $26m).

Liverpool's official website reveals Diouf to be at the bottom of the squad list.

He is the only player at the club that has not been assigned a shirt number.

"We can confirm that El Hadji Diouf no longer has the number nine shirt and is currently not registered under any other number," a Liverpool spokesman told BBC Sport.

The club refused to comment on why the player has not been given a shirt number for the new season which kicks off on 14 August.

Diouf recently declared that he is prepared to fight for a first-team place at Anfield.

El Hadji Diouf no longer has the number nine shirt Liverpool FC spokesman

The Senegal striker has scored just six goals in 61 starts for Liverpool and has struggled to adapt to the Premiership since his US $18.5m arrival from Lens two years ago.

With Cisse joining Liverpool's strike force, in addition to Michael Owen and Milan Baros, Diouf's chances of a regular spot appears slim.

"There are teams that are interested in me but Liverpool have said nothing about it," Diouf said.

"I would only leave England to play in a league like Spain's which, perhaps next to England's, is the best in the world."