Liverpool assistant manager Steve Clarke has praised the contribution of Craig Bellamy to the Reds and believes he deserves the club’s player of the month for December, liverpoolfc.tv reports.
Bellamy picked up the Standard Chartered Player of the Month for his impressive performances in the league and the FA Cup against Oldham. The Welshman signed for the Reds on a free transfer from Manchester City and faces his old side tonight in the Carling Cup semi-final. Liverpool face a tough trip to the Etihad Stadium and Clarke believes that Bellamy will be in good form to steer the Reds to Wembley.
Clarke said: ‘Craig has done great for us. He is in a really good moment and his contribution is there for everyone to see. We are all really pleased for him and to be fair, we know what we were getting when we brought him back to this club. I worked with Craig for a short time at West Ham, Kevin Keen worked with him before and we knew the type of player we would be getting. We felt that he could make a big contribution to the squad and that’s what he has done and continues to do.’
The Reds face City for the second time in a week and Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is expected to rotate the squad slightly, mixing young players hungry for a chance with experienced men such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. Liverpool are desperate to get back to Wembley for the first time since their FA Cup win in 2006.
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