Luis Suarez has insisted he would not have enjoyed such a successful career had he not had the opportunity of working under Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool.
Signed by the Reds in January 2011, Suarez improved with each season he spent at the club and would go on to become one of the most skilful players to ever grace Anfield. Initially brought to Merseyside by Sir Kenny Dalglish, Suarez's best football arrived in the two seasons spent with Rodgers at the helm.
Coming agonisingly close to winning the Premier League title during the 2013/14 campaign, the Uruguayan scored 31 times while registering an astonishing 17 assists to spearhead an unexpected pursuit of top spot.
Liverpool failed to keep hold of their talisman not long after missing out on top-flight glory as Barcelona sealed a deal for the forward. The Reds have fended off interest from Arsenal and other sides prior to this, though there was no preventing his eventual exit in July 2014.
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Suarez, now playing in Brazil for Gremio, went on to claim a number of trophies in Spain and is Barcelona's third all-time top scorer with 198 goals to his name across his six-year spell. Not forgetting the role played by Rodgers in his rise, however, the 36-year-old has praised his effective management skills.
“If it was not for Brendan, I am not sure I would have had the career that I did – he invested so much in me," Suarez told the Daily Record.
“He obviously cares about the team and about playing attractive football – but what people maybe won’t know is how much he works one on one with every single player. He will sit down with you as often as he needs to and make a plan for areas you need to improve, talk about strengths, look at a weakness in the opposition that you as a player can exploit.”
Rodgers, who was sacked by Leicester City in April, has today been reappointed as Celtic manager and Suarez believes managing a club competition in the Champions League is nothing less than the 50-year-old deserves.
He said: "Celtic already have some very good players – but under Brendan they can go to the next level if they listen to him. For me he is one of the best coaches in Europe and it is no surprise to me that he has got back into the game so quickly.
"He loves the game – he is passionate about not only winning but playing an attractive style of football. I am glad that he will be back coaching in the Champions League – because that for me is where he belongs.”
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