Liverpool may have missed out on the Premier League title, but they continue to run rampant on the individual awards front with Luis Suarez scooping up the Barclays Player of the Season — as well as the Golden Boot — and Reds boss Brendan Rodgers being named League Managers’ Association manager of the year.
The Uruguayan, who was named to the national squad for World Cup 2014 along with fellow Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates, scored 31-goals in 33-appearances and bagged 12 assists in a campaign that set him apart from the pack. Having been previously named the PFA and FWA Player of the Season earlier in the season, there’s little surprise that the 27-year old has swept up league award as well — he’s just that good.
Suarez played a massive role in the Reds push for the title and there’s little doubt that Rodgers benefited massively from retaining his services over what was a turbulent summer. With Champions League football secured for next season with a second placed finish, the Northern Irishman turned Liverpool’s fortunes around in the big way, and according to the owners, ahead of schedule.
Although he ended up missing out on the Barclays Manager of the Year Award, which was scooped up by Crystal Palace miracle worker Tony Pulis, Rodgers was named LMA Manager of the Year becoming the first Reds boss to win the award in its 20-year history. The budding genius looks set for a new contract to keep him at Anfield amid rumoured interest from a number of top sides and will be handed a war chest befitting a manager looking to assemble a squad to compete at a high level both domestically and on the continent.
