Brendan Rodgers Backs ‘Outstanding’ Luis Suarez to Win Players’ Player of the Year Award
The Uruguay striker is tipped to be one of the frontrunners for the prestigious accolade after a season so far which has seen him plunder 25 goals in 37 appearances.
Asked by reporters at Melwood who he believed to be deserving of the award, Rodgers stated: “Luis Suarez.
“He has been phenomenal — and that’s not just an opinion as his manager.
“This is a guy who had to play upfront on his own as the only striker we had for six months and never missed a day of training. He played every minute of every game and his performances have spoken for themselves.
“There are many great players in this league, but he has been absolutely outstanding. I couldn’t look any further, to be honest.”
Suarez was joined in Liverpool’s attacking ranks by Daniel Sturridge in January, and the pair have already struck up an instant understanding. They’ve netted 11 goals between them in 10 matches and Rodgers is delighted with the manner in which they’ve combined.
“They’re two top players,” the manager said. “They’ve got different qualities and different styles.
“You’ve seen Luis’s all season — his cleverness, movement and intensity in his game. When I came here, everyone was talking about his finishing and how many chances he missed and whatnot. But you look at his conversion rate of chances this year and the goals he has put away have been brilliant. He is a terrific focal point for the team.
“Daniel is a different type of player. He is hungry for goals, but he wants to play on the shoulder. His movement is really, really good and people have also seen his pace, power and running and shooting ability.
“When the both of them play in and around each other, they find the spaces really, really well — but with Danny you’ve got that possibility to play in behind and penetrate either over the top or in between. Once he’s away, he’s very, very hard to catch because he’s so fast.
“They’re a real potent threat and we’ve got others in the team with huge quality as well. That partnership and cohesion is growing all the time and it’s pleasing to see.”
