Neill still keen on Liverpool move

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LONDON, England -- Blackburn Rovers defender Lucas Neill, who will captain Australia in their friendly against Paraguay on Saturday, has expressed his regrets at not being given the chance to move to Liverpool in the summer.

Neill insisted that he would leave Blackburn the January transfer window opens or when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

"I was linked to Liverpool and no player in their right mind would not want the opportunity to go to a club like that with so much history and prestige," said Neill.

"The deal that was presented to the club at the time from Liverpool was not in Blackburn's best interests, therefore I didn't have a say and I didn't move on."

Neill conceded he was disappointed to miss such a promising move for his career but said he had no choice but to accept it and look to the future.

"It's unfortunate for my career that it didn't go that way, but as a professional I have to move on.

"But now I'm hopefully in just as good a position when those opportunities present themselves again in January, or if not then, I'll get a free transfer in June."

Neill, who played a key role in Australia's run to the second round of the World Cup in Germany earlier this year, also said he was proud to be captaining his country for the first time.

"It's a dream come true ... and I will be fighting hard not to give the armband back."

Paraguayans pull out

Paraguay will be without Bayern Munich pair Roque Santa Cruz and Julio Dos Santos, who have pulled out of the Brisbane game, saying it is too far to travel for one game.

Both players had been named in the squad but were faced with a dilemma when Bayern complained about the length of the trip.

Although Paraguay threatened to take the case to world governing body FIFA, it was eventually left up to the players to decide.

"We're not traveling," Santa Cruz told an Asuncion radio station. "We're going to stay in Germany and continue training.

"The national team games are important but a friendly in Australia is very tiring and we have to look after our positions here and stay close to the club.

"There are more important matches on the horizon such as the Copa America (in 2007) and the World Cup qualifiers when we will definitely be present.

"I don't want to enter into conflict with the club, who pay my salary and with whom I have a contract."

Santa Cruz spearheads the Paraguay attack and Dos Santos is an attacking midfielder. Santa Cruz's striking partner Nelson Haedo Valdez has also been ruled out of the trip through injury.

The match is Paraguay's first since the World Cup, where they were knocked out in the first round.

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