The Uruguayan’s devastating form in a season that started in personal shame has seen him net 28 goals – which ties Fowler’s personal best from 1996 and is only six short of the Premier League record jointly held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.
In tandem, and more significantly, Liverpool have stormed into title contention and sit third, four points off Chelsea with a game in hand as they hunt their first title since 1990.
It is a staggering turnaround for a club that finished seventh in Brendan Rodgers’ first season – and likewise for the striker, who missed the first five games of the campaign for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.
Former Liverpool winger McManaman said: ‘He’s going to break Fowler’s record. He missed the first five games of the season and that suggests he will go down in Liverpool history.
‘If he takes them to the league title everybody will say he is the greatest centre forward ever (at Liverpool).
‘But Liverpool have been blessed with some centre forwards. You quickly forget but the fact that you are even talking about Suarez after only a couple of years at Liverpool in the same breath as
Robbie or Kenny or Rushy and you can go on and on shows how much he has learned at Liverpool and improved.
‘He had a great season last year but he has gone and bettered that playing fewer games.’
Suarez was agitating for a move away from Anfield last summer, but committed his future to the club in December by signing a new four-and-a-half year deal.
He is set to be the subject of significant interest again after this campaign, but McManaman is confident there will be no doubts over his future if Liverpool secure a Champions League spot.
‘I think he will stay,’ said McManaman, speaking in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the Laureus World Sports Awards.
‘He’s signed a new contract.
‘It’s important for superstars to play in the Champions League every week. It is the over-riding fact that they want to test themselves against the best players.
‘Liverpool are on the right track. If they finish suddenly finish sixth in the league there will be question marks but if they win the league or second or third and are in the Champions League there won’t be any assumptions about whether he stays or goes.
‘He will stay and it will be up to Liverpool whether they want to sell him rather than the other way round.’
Referring to Liverpool’s rapidly escalating prospects under Rodgers, McManaman said: ‘They are exciting, scoring goals, letting goals in, really playing entertaining football – that’s what we want to see.
‘Of course they can do it. It’s just that the strength of the squad and Chelsea and Manchester City have got real strength in depth.
‘Like Arsenal, everybody was expecting Liverpool during March to drop points but suddenly they go to Old Trafford and won, go to Cardiff and won and suddenly everybody starts to think that they are quietly chipping away.
‘Look, it would be great if they did (win the title) but it will be hard with Manchester City at Anfield, Chelsea at Anfield.
‘Anybody who has been involved with Liverpool does not expect miracles this year. You don’t expect to jump from seventh last year, 20 points behind Manchester United, to winning the league.
‘You just want progression and we have had it in bucketloads this year. And if Liverpool can qualify for the Champions League without having a qualifying game, finishing first or second, that would be even better. If they win the league that would be incredible.’
Written by Steve Milne
