Brendan Rodgers believes the rehabilitation of Luis Suarez’s image will be finally complete if he is crowned the PFA’s Player of the Year.
The Uruguay striker has been the standout performer in Liverpool’s campaign and he only needs one goal against Sunderland on Wednesday evening to break Robbie Fowler’s club record of 28 strikes in a Barclays Premier League season.
What has made Suarez’s achievements all the more remarkable is that he only played his first game in the league on September 29 at Sunderland, after he had returned from a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.
Suarez certainly had something to prove, given that incident and the fact he agitated to leave Anfield last summer, but Liverpool manager Rodgers now believes the 27-year-old is more content than he has ever been – and warned that he expects him to improve further.
‘I think Luis was well on the way to winning (the PFA award) last season when he had that unfortunate incident, which may have curtailed that,’ said Rodgers.
‘But this year he has been a model of brilliance. If anything he has improved on that level this year.
‘I think it’s been nice for people to see the other side of him. People don’t see he is a real, quiet humble guy off the field who becomes a gladiator when he crosses the white line. A few people have seen the other side of him this year.
‘In this country we like to see good people doing well so certainly for him it would be a wonderful step forward in his life and his career if he gets it. He’s a real strong pillar of our team. He’s really dominant, that’s why I had no hesitancy making him skipper against Tottenham (in December).
‘Of course he makes me earn my money at times, but he is a good man and been incredible for Liverpool in my time here. He’s been brilliant for me, on and off the field. I’m not sure how the voting works, but if it’s down to the majority of football people, I’m sure they’d vote for Luis.
‘But listen, nothing surprises me. There are some outstanding players so you never know. (Eden) Hazard has been great, and of our own boys, Steven Gerrard has been brilliant, and Jordan Henderson. But Luis consistently, from when he came back into the team, has been remarkable.’
Suarez signed a long-term contract before Christmas and Liverpool will look to reward more of their players in the summer with similar new deals but Rodgers is confident the Uruguay international can be the club’s standard-bearer going forward.
‘I see him every day and he is settled,’ said Rodgers. ‘I think his aim was always to play for Liverpool in the Champions League and he has fought so hard in order to help us do that. Hopefully we can continue on the right path and he can continue to play a big part in that.
‘I look at the squad we want and we won’t be losing any, we will be looking to add. There is a real exciting mix there and hopefully it can see us challenging for a number of years.’
Written by Steve Milne
