Dalglish tells Fabio: Get your 'ands off Andy

Kenny Dalglish has told Fabio Capello to stop offering Andy Carroll lifestyle advice.

Liverpool were upset that England boss Capello singled out Carroll to bluntly tell him to sort out his drinking habits while saying it was up to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, not him, to guide Jack Wilshere through his off field problems.

Dalglish, who is full of admiration for the way his record buy has worked to recover from a thigh injury ahead of schedule, said: “Andy Carroll knows what is required of Andy Carroll, and he’s done fantastically well getting back to where he has, with his application and dedication.

“Whatever Andy has done, he has done it very well, and somebody else’s opinion is up to them. But he cannot be criticised in any way, shape or form for what he has done since he has been here.

“He’s done really well to get where he is, so I think Andy is focused on his football.

"I’ve been with him at Boyzone concerts and he’s still never bought me a drink!”

Carroll, like Wilshere, has courted controversy in his fledgling career, with two nightclub incidents in Newcastle and even a drunken fall from a casino barstool in December .

But since becoming the most expensive signing in Liverpool’s history, he has avoided all controversy, and worked hard to get himself ready to play.

He even responded to Capello’s criticism in midweek by scoring his first goal for England against Ghana on Tuesday in front of an admiring Wembley crowd.

Dalglish believes the goal was just reward for all his effort in the past two months... and the perfect response to his critics.

“Getting his first goal for England was a great milestone for him, especially at Wembley,” he said.

“It was a great reward for him after his recuperation, a great lift that will kick him on further. And it was also a great reflection over how he’s gone about his work, and what the medical staff have done.

"He’ll have been quite happy when he woke up on Wednesday morning.”

Liverpool are working hard with the 22-year-old to educate him in all aspects of his life as a top-class athlete.

Dalglish’s big problem this summer will not be keeping Carroll out of bars, and the trouble that can be found in them, but out of the England Under-21 squad for the European Championship.

International boss Stuart Pearce has already said he wants to be able to call on the likes of Carroll and Wilshere, even though they are seen now as part of the senior squad.

Arsenal boss Wenger is concerned about the extra workload on his midfielder, but as far as his Anfield counterpart is concerned, the problem is not worth worrying about until it actually arises.

“We will wait and see if he gets picked first, because until they are, there is no point in having an opinion, is there? That might jeopardise something,” explained Dalglish.

“That is why we would rather wait and see what we have to put up with or look forward to before we make any comment on something that might never happen.

"I don’t know if I would have any objections, but it’s a question I don’t need to answer before it happens.

“I’m not bothered about international football, and what is going to happen won’t happen until the end of the season - we have football matches here that are more important than what is going to happen at an Under-21 tournament."