Rodgers wants Suarez to be judged on quality

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is hopeful the quality of football played will decide the winner of the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Player of the Year award after controversial Reds striker Luis Suarez was shortlisted.

Suarez is far from the most popular player in the Barclays Premier League, and his admission earlier this season that he had dived in an attempt to win a penalty did little to enhance his reputation, which was tarnished by last season’s controversy which saw him banned for eight matches after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.

Suarez will face stiff competition from Tottenham’s Gareth Bale and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, but Rodgers hopes the criteria which will be used to ascertain the player of the year will be based on football skills alone.