Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes he has the player of the year in Luis Suarez and hopes the striker can lead the Reds on a late-season charge.
The Uruguay international has scored 25 goals this season, 18 of which have come in the league, to put him one behind of Manchester United’s Robin van Persie and three ahead of Tottenham’s Gareth Bale - both fellow contenders for this season’s star man award.
He is two away from becoming the first Liverpool player to score 20 league goals in a campaign since Fernando Torres five seasons ago.
Suarez will start his 90th match for the Reds against Wigan tomorrow and Rodgers believes the player’s recent record compares to the best.
In his first 45 games Suarez managed just 16 goals, but has scored 30 in his last 44 appearances, which debunks the claim the striker is not prolific enough.
Asked who he would pick as player of the year, Rodgers’ choice was obvious.
“I couldn’t look much further than Luis Suarez,” he said.
“He has been phenomenal - that is not just an opinion as his manager.
“If I look across the board this is a guy who had to play alone up front because he was the only striker we had for nearly six months and never missed a day’s training and played every minute of every game.
“His performances have spoken for themselves. There’s many great players in this league but for me he has been absolutely outstanding.
The goalscoring burden on Suarez has been eased by last month’s £12million signing of Daniel Sturridge, who should he score at the weekend will reach five Premier League goals in six matches.
Rodgers thinks the strike duo’s partnership, which has blossomed incredibly quickly, will make a difference to Liverpool in the final three months of the campaign.
“They are two top players but they have got different qualities and different strengths,” he added.
Comments