Partridge issues departure threat to Houllier

Republic of Ireland international Richie Partridge has told Gerard Houllier to give him chance in the first team or he will move…

Republic of Ireland international Richie Partridge has told Gerard Houllier to give him chance in the first team or he will move from Anfield to further his career.

Partridge has aroused interest from a number of clubs but following a season on loan to Gary McAllister's Coventry City where he scored four goals, the 23-year-old winger is keen to make it at Liverpool.

"I would love to break into the first team squad next season and start playing some games for Liverpool. I know I seem to say this every summer, but this year is really make-or-break for me," he told Liverpool's official website."I have been at Liverpool for a long time now. I'm 23 later this year and at this stage of my career I really need to be playing first team football, especially if I'm going to get a chance to play for Ireland again."I had a good chat with Phil Thompson a few weeks ago and he gave me a lot of encouragement. He reassured me that I had a future at the club. He said that if I was fully fit and did well in pre-season, I would be in with a shout."He also said that there had been a bit of interest in me from other clubs since the end of the season as people had taken note of what I had done on loan at Coventry."