I’m treating Suarez’s return with utmost caution

I’D spoken a lot over the summer about Luis Suarez’s career – and future – at Liverpool.

In him, I thought I’d found another idol, only to then discover that he’d had his heart set elsewhere and would stop at (sometimes, literally!) nothing to make that move happen for himself.

For me now, he is just another player. Just another one of those ‘journeymen’ that comes to our club and stays a few years and then moves on. I don’t want to feel that way, but it just seems easier.

On Sunday, as his second of the game crossed the line and the Reds had confirmed the victory that would take them up to second in the league with 15% of the seasons games already played, I cheered as loudly as anybody else.

In Suarez’s first two games of the season, against Manchester United last Wednesday and against Sunderland on Sunday, Suarez wasn’t precisely what you’d called ‘back to his best’ but he didn’t look like a player that has missed months and months of domestic football.

With 2 goals in 2 games and a newly burgeoning partnership with Daniel Sturridge, his misdemeanour’s of last season seem far behind and his behaviour in the previous two fixtures suggest that, for now at least, he has matured or chosen to turn over a new leaf.

Over the course of the season, we will get a much better idea as to whether Suarez has truly changed or whether this is just a case of him just being happy to be back in the game, for now.
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It would be a pleasant turnout for the books if we managed to get through the 2013-14 season with a fully-fit, raring to go, not banned Luis Suarez. The better a season he has, of course, the more likely we are to endure another summer of his winging for a move, and of Europe’s’ best lining up to draw him away to more attractive climes.

But let’s be honest, it matters little whether the striker has a good or terrible season he is likely to want to move next summer (possibly January) and there are likely to be those willing to take him off our hands, whether we’re interested in such a move or not.

Which is why it’s important, I believe, to not do what fans did when Steven Gerrard came scarily close to leaving for Chelsea in the summer of 2005 and treat him like a returning hero. Certainly, cheer him on and celebrate every goal; give him the backing any of his team-mates should get and provide him with the platform to score the goals that will elevate us to the top-4 and beyond.

However, don’t put too much stock in him remaining as our all-conquering saviour, not even if he signs this new contract we’re hearing so much about, as Luis’s comments about his renewed loyalty to Liverpool still require validation and that won’t come until the transfer window opens again and we get to see that new found loyalty put to the test.

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