Shelvey: Oh, he's a top player
Jonjo Shelvey has tipped his cap at one of the players keeping him out of Liverpool's midfield.
The 19-year-old faces stiff competition if he wants to add to the 21 appearances he made during 2010-11, with new boys Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam all vying for places in an already competitive midfield this season.
Another player Shelvey may hope to oust from the starting XI is Lucas Leiva, who was voted our Player of the Season by fans last term.
The England youth international knows shifting his Brazilian colleague will not be easy.
"I've watched him closely quite a bit when I've been on the substitutes' bench and you just think, 'Oh, he's a top player'," Shelvey told LFC Weekly.
"He has so many qualities from the intensity that he tackles with and the way he passes the ball. He's done so well. You can see how hard he works out there on the pitch and he is a really good player.
"He deserves the Player of the Year award and I congratulate him."
