There used to be a time when we would see Daniel Sturridge smile every single week as he slotted one home and danced his famous dance that we all love.
However, it’s been awhile since that was a regular occurrence.
Sturridge’s injury problems are no secret and he hasn’t been able to get a decent run of games since 2013/2014, when he scored 21 league goals, starting 26 games and making three substitute appearances.
Since that campaign, Sturridge has started 23 out of 112 league games, a measly 21%. Liverpool haven’t been able to trust him to lead the line. When Liverpool needed Sturridge the most, he was out injured.
This season has been a different story though. When he has been fit, he hasn’t been able to break into the team with the front three in form. So that begs the question, does Sturridge have a future at Liverpool?
Well let’s start with the rest of this season. Liverpool are currently in a tight fight for top four. With two games left, every player has to give everything to take the club to the Champions League and with Sadio Mané out injured, the attacking players will have to fill the void he has left behind.
In the 10 minutes Sturridge played in on his return against Watford, he nearly scored and looked very sharp. He had a bit more time on the pitch the following week against Southampton and as soon as he came on, Liverpool instantly looked more threatening.
He did more in 24 minutes than Divock Origi did in 66 minutes. Surely with Liverpool struggling to score goals, Sturridge has to get an opportunity to prove he still has what it takes to play for Liverpool. He could be the difference between Champions League or Europa League.
Clearly Jürgen Klopp has a style of play and no matter how good Sturridge is, he simply doesn’t fit that style. He is third in the pecking order of strikers behind Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi as Klopp clearly doesn’t think that the England striker can offer what he wants in this Liverpool team.
The 27-year-old’s legs have gone. He no longer has the blistering pace he used to possess and he seems to be much more careful on the pitch now due to fear of picking up more injuries.
I fear that Klopp has moved on. Gone are the days of Liverpool absolutely needing Sturridge to be fit. He is no longer an essential part of the team. Liverpool reportedly value the former Chelsea man at £30m. There will be many teams lining up to get his signature and it would be tough to reject an offer of that size.
If this season is Sturridge’s last at Anfield, then it will be a very depressing end to a promising career. Scoring 11 goals in his first 10 games, his future looked bright.
He is also the fastest Liverpool player to reach 50 goals. It’s a sad end to a career that should have been filled with many more goals and many trophies. Sturridge is one of the best strikers I’ve ever seen but sadly a great career will be ruined by injuries.
Hopefully in these last two games, the striker gets the chance to prove himself. On his day, he is world class and with Liverpool desperately needing a creative spark to get them over the line this season, this could be Sturridge’s last chance to save his Liverpool career.
However,if Klopp continues to insist on playing out of form Origi then I think that says all you need to know about Sturridge’s future at the club.
