Did this midfielder start to prove his worth at Liverpool in recent months?

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After being one of Brendan Rodgers’ first signings, it’s probably not been until this season that he’s had much of an effect on the side.

Joe Allen’s involvement in the Liverpol side of late seems to have gone a little under the radar, but when he was being talked about a lot by fans, it never appeared to be for the right reasons.

But things have been quiet, and Allen has played a fair few games since his return from injury, whether that has been from the bench or from the start – so has he proved his worth at Anfield? Have doubters been silenced a little?

There have been times this season when Liverpool have struggled to get to grips with a game, but Allen has been able to come into the midfield from the bench and offer a little more control, and has also not been afraid to try and offer support further up the field.

Also, with Liverpool operating the diamond system towards the end of the season, Allen was featuring with a lot more regularity, operating predominantly towards one side of the field rather than in the more central areas.

During Jordan Henderson’s suspension, it seemed as if he tried to do a lot of the work that the Englishman would normally do by trying to close down players and cover a lot of ground. There was one particular spell at Norwich City this season when he came up with two vital blocks to preserve Liverpool’s lead.

His overall job hasn’t been the most glamorous within the side. His job has been to find one of his team-mates when in position, make the odd forward run and put the pressure on opponents when he’s had the ball.

He came in for widespread criticism for his poor miss in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in November, which could have finished off Everton in a game that ended up finishing 3-3.

But he has shown he can be aggressive in the middle of the park, shown there is a bit of toughness about him.

If there isn’t being much said about him at the moment it’s probably a good thing, and it’s a shame that his first league goal for the club against Crystal Palace didn’t carry the significance that it perhaps deserved. That is one thing that fans will want to see a lot more from Allen, especially in a side that has shown it’s capable of scoring in excess of 100 goals in league campaign.

The question is, can he keep on improving going into the next season. His form, along that with Henderson’s, appears to have made Liverpool’s midfield area look that little big stronger than was initially thought.