LIVERPOOL MANAGER Jurgen Klopp urged Daniel Sturridge to stay focused despite speculation about his future, saying the Reds still need the England striker.
Sturridge has made just four Premier League starts this season and another four off the bench, scoring twice.
The England international is likely to need more game time if he is to make Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, but Klopp — whose side visit Sevilla in the Champions League on — said he wanted Sturridge focused on Liverpool.
“I can imagine a player with his quality is not happy that he is not starting all the time, but that’s all,” he said.
“The situation with the player is completely OK. At this moment we are in November and need all our players — even if he feels a little different.
“There is around one-and-a-half months before the window opens and I don’t think about things like this. There are so many games before then and I need all of them.”
Sturridge made 26 starts and scored 21 league goals in 2013-14, but has since netted 17 league goals in 29 starts in three-plus seasons while often struggling with injuries.
This season, the forward has been unable to unseat Jurgen Klopp’s first-choice forward trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
And England manager Southgate dropped the 28-year-old from the Three Lions squad that faced Germany and Brazil earlier this month, saying: “He’s not playing regularly. I think it’s very difficult. I don’t remember the last time Daniel had 90 minutes.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):
With all the very exciting points that they make in the prospectus, you’d wonder why they’d want to sell.
How do you make a small fortune out of a LOI club?……. Start off with a large fortune!
1.3 million and they don’t even own the grounds?
@Stephen Foster: That’s true but it’s still the best LOI ground in the country by far
@Ronan O Connor:
If it has a running track around it is not.
I’d say tallagh is
@Ronan O Connor: eh.. you don’t go to many LoI grounds I take it?
@John Travers: g’wan the LOI
@Ronan O Connor: Has to be Tallaght man. Best ground in the LOI.
@Ronan O Connor: You haven’t been to Tallaght Stadium?
@Stephen Foster: Just like AC & Inter Milan to name but 2. What’s the problem with long term leases?
@John Travers: exactly
McGregor might buy it he’s been looking to purchase a football club
@John Kelly: the only thing he will actually pay for is silence ..
@Ciaran: and fines
Limerick FC all over again. The initial investment doesn’t pay off when not enough fans come through the gate or into the club shop.
@Mogh Roith: the problem is not being able to sign players until you have the fixture list for the following seasonr. Most clubs can’t sign players to multiple year contracts, only 9 month ones. So all the big clubs have to do is wait until the end of the season and offer a 2 year contract to a free agent
Will they accept Blaa’s as payment?
Thought the headline said Watford at first…..would have bought shares of that was Watford’s value…