Steven Gerrard claims £22m Liverpool striker is the only one he’s played with on Wayne Rooney’s level

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Steven Gerrard has revealed Wayne Rooney is the best player he has played alongside for England, but one former Liverpool teammate is on par.

The Scouser played with some of the best centre forwards throughout his illustrious career at Anfield, including 2002 Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen.

Gerrard forged a formidable partnership with Fernando Torres before the Spaniard completed a £50 million move to Chelsea in 2011 – the pair dominated on Merseyside for years.

Now, the Reds boast arguably their most exciting attacking options after Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike arrived this summer to compete for the leading role in the front line.

However, there is one former forward who plied his trade for two-and-a-half years at Anfield who Gerrard believes is on par with the best ever.

Luis Suarez was of the same calibre as Wayne Rooney

When speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Gerrard revealed ex-Reds forward Luis Suarez played at the same level as Wayne Rooney.

“Wayne Rooney is the best player I played with in England, hands down. Why? Because he can do so many things.

“I don’t see Wayne as a number nine. I don’t see him as a number 10. I see him as an all-round attacker, because he can occupy a back four or a back five on his own.

“The only other striker I’ve seen do that is Luis Suarez. So Suarez is in that conversation with Wayne for me. They’re direct.”

Indeed, Suarez is regarded as Liverpool’s best-ever January signing, having scored 82 goals and added 29 assists in 133 appearances across all competitions following his £22 million deadline-day arrival in 2011.

The Uruguayan joined Andy Carroll at Anfield to replace Torres, who left the club in precarious circumstances, and would outscore his predecessor by one goal in nine fewer outings.

Gerrard claimed Suarez was better than Torres for the Reds, and the 38-year-old enjoyed one of the best individual seasons in Premier League history, recording 44 goal contributions in 33 appearances during the 2013/14 campaign.

However, Suarez also left Anfield in an unsavoury manner despite taking Liverpool to the brink of the Premier League title. He forced through a blockbuster transfer to Barcelona in 2014, having pushed for a move to Arsenal the year prior.

Who did Steven Gerrard play better alongside at Liverpool?

Although Gerrard claims Suarez is the better player than Torres, it is clear that the former Liverpool captain had a stronger connection with the Spaniard.

Both players played alongside the Reds legend during intense Premier League title races with Manchester United and Manchester City in 2009 and 2014, respectively.

While Torres failed to win a major trophy at Anfield, Suarez won the League Cup in 2012; the former had nearly double the combined goal contributions with Gerrard during their spells with the Reds.

Suarez would go on to have a more successful career after leaving Liverpool, and the former number seven will arguably be remembered as the more impactful striker out of the two among the supporters.