Paul Scholes: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez is a ‘lucky’ player

Luis Suárez scored 31 Premier League goals last season Photo: Liverpool FC

Luis Suarez is a “lucky player” and gets the breaks that other forwards don’t, according to Paul Scholes.

The Liverpool striker, who is due to come up against England in Thursday’s crunch World Cup clash against Uruguay, was in scintillating form last season as his 31 goals and 12 assists helped Liverpool to a second-place finish.

The ball seems to bounce off him into the right place. Luck or skill – he gets breaks other forwards don’t

Paul Scholes

The 27-year-old missed his country’s 3-1 defeat by Costa Rica on Saturday as he continued his recovery from knee ligament surgery.

But with the forward set to come up against the Three Lions this week, former Manchester United and England midfielder Scholes has given his assessment of the striker’s recent improvments.

“Suarez reminds me of Carlos Tevez,” Scholes told the Paddy Power blog. “He’s a nuisance – never gives you a minute’s peace.

“Suarez is also a lucky player. The ball seems to bounce off him into the right place. Luck or skill – he gets breaks other forwards don’t.

“In 2012-2013 Suarez was pretty selfish and missed too many chances for Liverpool.

“Thinking of my time at United, we didn’t worry about Suarez much – he’d barely get a kick at Old Trafford and I don’t remember any specific strategy to try to stop him playing, like we did with Park Ji-Sung on Andrea Pirlo in the Champions League, for example.

“Last season Suarez changed his game and wasn’t just thinking about himself. It made him a better player, especially in his partnership with Daniel Sturridge.

“His performances against United changed too – the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford, where Suarez scored, was a horror show from my perspective.”