In a couple of weeks time Jonjo Shelvey will return to the first-team squad (and more likely, the bench) after having returned to training on 15th March. It is, as yet, unclear what we are going to get with Shelvey once he is fit and has a full season at Liverpool. Will he be a central midfielder, will he play out wide, will he play a holding role, or more attacking? At the moment, it is difficult to say; he has all of these attributes and from what we have seen of him so far, he appears to be at the very least a very solid player, probably the equal of somebody like Maxi and he is still only a young man. I am a fan of Maxi, he is a good, reliable squad player who can occasionally throw a dash of South American flair into the mix. But in Shelvey, I see somebody who is already as good as Maxi, so at the very least we have a good squad player on our hands.
At the age of just 19, Shelvey made the move from Charlton to Liverpool and before he was injured, he was beginning to make fairly regular appearances in the first team and in some pretty high-profile games too. The strangest thing of all, was that nobody seemed to flinch at the way he slipped straight into the first team and looked easily as comfortable as any of his team mates. He is a big lad, rangy, without being ‘lanky’ or gangly and has a tight centre of gravity when it comes to his movement and passing. He is around the same height as Xabi Alonso and has the same ability to read the game in front of him, as we’ve already seen. Incidentally, I’m not calling him the new Alonso, just comparing some of their key attributes.
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INTRODUCING CRYSIS 2!
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1 for d future
Feel really sorry for Shelvey. He was just putting in some minutes in the first team, albeit from the bench, then he got injured. He has shown promise so far. But you can see he has confidence. He gets forward well, offers team mates options, has the confidence to try long range shots. He has been a positive attacking player and that is where I see his future. He could be the new Gerrard and to be honest, training with him and learning from him and kenny will prove him in good stead.
Shelvey was already forcing his way into the first team when he was 18 and still only 19 now. The next 2 years will be crucial for his development although he still has a lot to learn. His performances thus far hasn’t been really impressive to be honest and it’s clear that he isn’t quite ready yet. However, at 19 the guy has a bright future and maybe a loan spell next season at a smaller Premier League club would benefit him. Shelvey is promising and he’s almost certainly one for the future unlike the average-at-best Spearing who’s already 22.