What Gerrard has said about Suarez: ‘Warrior’ striker ‘ahead of Torres’ and a ‘king’

Luis Suarez is being linked with a stunning move to Aston Villa, and it’s clear manager Steven Gerrard would love to be reunited with his former Liverpool partner.

The Reds’ former No.7 could make a surprise return to the Premier League in the January transfer window, with reports he may be set to leave Atletico Madrid.

Suarez starred for Atleti last season, helping the Madrid club win the Spanish LaLiga title following his arrival from Barcelona with 21 goals and three assists.

But he has struggled for regular game time this term with 13 starts, while he has also been less potent in front of goal with nine goals and two assists in all competitions.

He’s not the only former Liverpool player to experience the same problems in Spain. Philippe Coutinho was never really fancied at Barcelona and yet made an instant impact after making his shock switch to Villa in January – scoring on his debut against old rivals Manchester United to help seal a 2-2 draw.

Could another Anfield hero be set for a reunion with Gerrard at Villa Park?

talkSPORT has been told it is ‘not impossible’, with Atletico willing to sell as Suarez enters the final six months of his contract.

And from the way Gerrard has spoken glowingly about Suarez in the past, it appears the manager would love to have him join him in the West Midlands.

We here at talkSPORT.com have had a read of Gerrard’s 2016 autobiography ‘My Story’ to see what he said about the Uruguayan, and it’s fair to say he rates him very highly on and off the pitch…

‘One of the best I played with, Luis blew me away…’

Gerrard wrote: “It’s always difficult to pick out the very best teammates in a career stretching across seventeen seasons but, when I think about it, the answers soon become clear.

“Four players stand out in my time at Liverpool and with England. The first three all helped me become a better player. They all speak Spanish. Each of them unleashes a wave of emotion in me and in every Liverpool supporter.

“But, ultimately, Luis stands out. He ran and pressed and fought for the ball and ran again – while producing extraordinary moves and sublime goals. There was a sustained period when playing with Luis was like being under a magical spell. He blew me away with his talent.

“I would have loved to have played with Luis when I was a lot younger, and peaking, as we could have been phenomenal together for years. That’s my only tinge of regret with Suarez.

“He doesn’t go into the treatment room. He’s a proper warrior. Suarez edges ahead of Fernando Torres because of that mentality, that robustness which means he doesn’t miss a session, or a game. He scores goals. He creates goals. He’s hard and horrible to play against. He’s right up for it. You’ve got a chance of beating anyone in the world with Luis Suarez in your team.”

‘We were the same – obsessed with football – but he was better than me…’

“Just as I had done with John Barnes and Robbie Fowler, I saw something of myself in Suarez. Luis was also a street footballer, and the same obsession ran through him.

“It didn’t matter if we were from Montevideo or Merseyside, we were marked in the same way. Football ruled our lives. 

“Luis joined Liverpool on 31 January 2011. On his first full day at Melwood, our training ground, his fixation with football was so obvious it took my breath away. 

“Luis belonged to that rare breed who trained like he played. Melwood on a drizzly Tuesday morning was the same as Camp Nou on a crackling Saturday night. Luis played to win a five-a-side training session like he was chasing the Champions League or the World Cup.

“If his team lost a Melwood kickaround he went home angry. He always needed to win that badly. I loved that intensity and passion – and I loved his ability and skill most of all.

“I’ve trained with some stunning footballers during my career, but I’ve always believed I’m up there as one of the best. You need that conviction. And so I always wanted the very best players in the world to join Liverpool. 

“I wanted them to lift the club to the heights Liverpool had scaled when I was that kid in the 1980s on Ironside Road. More selfishly, I wanted to prove to those great footballers that I belonged alongside them. 

“Luis Suarez gave Liverpool and me those beautiful opportunities. He also gave us a chance to compete against the money and power of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. 

“In training, and in matches, Luis proved again and again that he was at a different level from everyone else. I tried harder than ever to match him – but Luis was a better footballer than me.”

‘Suarez helped Liverpool play like kings…’

“Here’s an example of what he did for me,” said Gerrard. “On 13 March 2012 I scored a hat-trick at Anfield against Everton. It was the first hat-trick in thirty years of Merseyside derbies, since Ian Rush scored three at Goodison Park in 1982. I was told it was the first derby hat-trick at Anfield since 1935. 

“History has always been part of my love of football. But history is not as thrilling as the feeling I had playing football with Luis Suarez that night. I got the goals that game, pretty good goals too, and I remember it as my favourite match at Anfield – and not just because we beat Everton. I love winning derbies because Everton fans have given me unbelievable stick over the years. Proper verbal abuse. So it was incredibly sweet to bang three past them. 

“It was made even better by the selfless magic Suarez sprinkled over me that night. It’s a rare combination, to be a miraculous footballer who is willing to use his gifts to assist and create goals for a teammate. 

“Messi, for all his greatness, also has that humility. Luis is no saint – and I’m not sure he would have done the same for Daniel Sturridge. There was always a little bit of needling rivalry between Sturridge and Suarez. But when it came to me, especially against Everton, Luis went out of his way. He helped Liverpool, and me, play like kings. 

“All the people who revile Luis Suarez, never having met him, might be surprised if they had the chance to benefit from his unselfish willingness to sacrifice himself for his team. He will run himself into the ground, like he did that night, glittering like an unbreakable diamond. I got the hat-trick but Suarez, buzzing and swarming and sparkling around me, set up two of my goals on a plate. 

“I’ve got other wonderful memories of watching him play, seeing him every day, the way he gives everything to football.”