Raul Meireles Named Standard Chartered LFC Player of the Month

by Matt Couto on Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 10:47PM

Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles earned 34 percent of Liverpool fans' votes in this month's exclusive poll on Liverpoolfc.tv, and that was enough to give him the title of Standard Chartered LFC Player of the Month.

Following Steven Gerrard's hamstring injury, Meireles took center stage for the Reds and eased the spotlight away from Fernando Torres, who came in second in the poll with 27 percent, and Lucas Leiva, who came in third with 15 percent.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson agrees with the fans, explaining that Meireles deserves the spotlight for his recent play.

"It's absolutely a good decision. He's played extremely well, hasn't he?" Hodgson explained to Liverpoolfc.tv. "In the last month or so he's come to terms with what English football is, compared to what is a different style of football in Portugal.

"He and Lucas have done extremely well together. I'd be more than happy to keep him in the centre of midfield. I might have a difficult decision to make when Steven gets fit as to where to play him."

Meireles was thankful for the award and credited his team with a strong month of performances.

"I'm very proud to win this award. I would like to say thanks to all the fans who voted for me, but the team is the most important thing for me and I think we had a good month."