Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stressed that Daniel Sturridge is still an important player in his squad.
There was talk over the summer that Sturridge could have potentially left Liverpool but nothing came of it and he now looks set to fight for his place in the squad.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Klopp said this:
Daniel is important, not could be, he is important.
Sturridge was left out of the squad to face Leicester in the League Cup, with Klopp feeling his time was best served on the training pitch.
Instead, Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings were given run-outs, with Ings also coming back from injury.
We decided not to take him to Leicester and that was again a kind of responsible decision.
We would have taken him, but he would not have started. Maybe he would have had 10 minutes, 30 minutes or extra-time. But then we decided it was better for him to stay here and train twice because he can get better physically. Now he’s in the best moment.
Sturridge started just 11 games in all competitions for Liverpool, as he continued to struggle with injury.
The English international has failed to kick on at Liverpool following his 24-goal haul alongside Luis Suarez before the Uruguayan moved to Barcelona.
The 28-year-old scored seven goals in 27 appearances last season, with 16 of them coming as a substitute.
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