Jonjo Shelvey has spoken of his admiration for fellow central midfielder Jay Spearing and commented: 'I look up to Jay'.
Liverpool's No.33 netted his first goal in a red shirt during the FA Cup 3rd round victory over Oldham Athletic as he partnered Spearing at the heart of the Reds' midfield.
"Jay is a top, top player. I think he has proved that when he's in the team," said Shelvey.
"I felt really sorry for him against Fulham when he was shown the red card. I thought it was a proper old fashioned tackle.
"I look up to Jay, even though I've played more games in my career. He's been around the Liverpool squad for a long time where it's harder to get games."
Shelvey played 42 games during the two years he spent at Charlton and he is making great progress under the tutelage of Kenny Dalglish.
He enjoyed an outstanding spell on loan at Championship club Blackpool on including a debut goal in a 5-0 win against Bristol City at Bloomfield Road.
A hat-trick against Leeds in November coupled with a handful of stand-out performances for The Seasiders lead to him being named Championship Young Player of the Month for November.
Shelvey said: "It was a big thing for me. It's nice to win it. I've never won anything like that before; I think the only other trophy I've ever won was for a golf tournament!
"It's good to know people are noticing what you can do."
After injury ruled Lucas Leiva out for the remainder of the season, Liverpool recalled their starlet as cover on November 30, 2011 and he made his first ever Barclays Premier League start with an impressive outing for the Reds in the 2-0 win at Aston Villa.
He added: "In the Premier League you get a little bit more time and space because it's a more technical game.
"You don't get as much time on the ball in the Championship. People are always in your face. If you try to take a touch you usually get tackled straight away. You get pressed all the time.
"Hopefully I can stay playing in the Premier League."
No comments:
Post a Comment