Sturridge faces a huge summer
Published on: Sunday, May 28, 2017
LIVERPOOL: Will he play for Liverpool again? Will he play for England at the 2018 World Cup in Russia?They are just two questions that can be asked of Daniel Sturridge ahead of a summer that will see the future of the striker debated.At 27 years old, Sturridge should be hitting the form of his career. Ahead of Russia 2018, he knows he has to do so next season.ADVERTISEMENT Sturridge played a significant role for Liverpool as they secured fourth spot at the end of the season but his injury issues are requiring careful management by Jurgen Klopp.He scored in Liverpool's friendly against Sydney in Australia on Wednesday, surprisingly playing 45 minutes after 24 hours in the air.Now, he requires an injection on his hip which has ruled him out of England selection for the Scotland and France games next month.It is unfortunately not something unfamiliar to the striker, with injuries having had an impact on his international and club career.ADVERTISEMENT Sturridge's statistics for Liverpool, though, are far from the worst.In an all-time table for minutes-per-goal ratio in the Premier League, Sturridge is second.
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The England international has got 46 goals in 89 games, scoring on average every 128 minutes.It is better than the likes of Luis Suarez (139 minutes), Michael Owen (143) and Robbie Fowler (158).Only Fernando Torres is beating him to the top spot on 121.Sturridge is coming up to the 50-mark but it remains to be seen whether he will get to hit it for Liverpool.This season he made 20 appearances in the Premier League and started seven times. He only managed three goals in 2016-17, leaving his minutes-per-goal ratio at a career-low 256.It left him primarily playing the role of a squad player and time on the pitch is required.Indeed Sturridge has stalled under Klopp this season and a change of scenery could be worthwhile, with England manager Gareth Southgate keeping a close eye on him.The former Manchester City and Chelsea player is one of Liverpool's biggest earners on £150,000 a week, on a contract that lasts until the end of June 2019.It is a steep wage and not one that all of Sturridge's admirers could afford.West Ham are among those interested. Slaven Bilic wants a star signing up front and has been linked with Michy Batshuayi and Kelechi Iheanacho.Sturridge, though, is also on his radar.There have been suggestions that he is 'too good' for West Ham, who also have injury-prone Andy Carroll. Ask Bilic about Liverpool's potentially up-for-sale striker, who is tipped to cost £25million, and he sounds hopeful."The player you want has to be available and he has to choose you," West Ham's boss said in April."If you talk about Sturridge as a player, especially if you go back two or three seasons, he was unbelievable. But then he wasn't a subject for West Ham."Now you can still see it when he plays. He plays very rarely but I watched Stoke against Liverpool the other day. He came on and, with a couple of passes, he broke their defence."So of course he is showing that when he plays, but he plays very rarely. When he is on fire he is a great player."Is he the sort of striker we would look at? We are going to see. We have our list of strikers."Roberto Firmino has been preferred as a striker at Liverpool, while Sturridge has been relegated to the role of deputy. It is not what he needs – or wants – ahead of Russia.West Ham recognise Sturridge will in all likelihood not want to leave Liverpool for a club out of Europe and convincing him could be difficult.Since joining Liverpool from Chelsea in January 2013, it has been reported that Sturridge has missed a staggering 95 matches because of injury.A parting of ways could be convenient and talks are to be held in the summer, according to Klopp.Asked if Sturridge wanted to stay, Liverpool's manager said: "That's not the question."We speak about everything. It's not just my talks, it's talks with [sporting director] Michael Edwards, with agents."We speak to everybody. In the end, everybody will know what happens when it happens."It is not always in our hands. It's not just about Daniel. That's how transfers work, whether someone stays or not."Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Klopp sounds open to it, though it remains to be seen whether Sturridge will want to stay or go. Either way, this will be a big summer and season ahead for the England star.