What does the future hold for this Liverpool striker?

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Go back 18-months and Daniel Sturridge was a revelation. He’d seemingly turned his career from stunted to supreme, scoring 22 goals in 29 Premier League appearances, and nailing down a spot with the England squad at the 2012 World Cup. Now, nearly two seasons later – in which he’s only made 18 Premier League appearances – where does the stuttering sensation stand?

Since the start of the 2014/15 season, Sturridge has suffered five serious injuries, missing a huge 57 matches for Liverpool in all competitions. He shouldered much of the weight for a hugely disappointing spell at the end of Brendan Rodgers’ tenure, with fans and press starting to turn their back on the injury prone striker who’d very nearly co-led the Reds to an infamous and unprecedented title back in 2013.

But nonetheless, he kept working behind closed doors in a bid to return to the field. The Anfield faithful all hoped each match would be the return, the next ‘new start’ for Daniel Sturridge, who would finally put these problems behind him and show the doubters that he was still the stellar name his goalscoring habits had created for him.

Or so they thought.

Instead, the closest the fans came to his name was the availability of his new headwear range, branded with a little jiving stickman above the phrase “do the Sturridge” – something that hadn’t been seen live in quite some time. The fans were drip-fed news of his ongoing search for full fitness in his own little pre-season routine, designed and executed by Jurgen Klopp, with the most information given, that of Sturridge’s failure to complete said sessions in succession.

Alas, soon came the paper talk. “Sturridge wants out,” said some tabloids, stating the player had grown tired of the lack of defence he’d received from the club after sitting out for 18-months and earning over £100,000 per week in the process. Then the defence – sources close to Sturridge deny the claims, Klopp backs his striker to be a success upon his return; the full works.

Of course, in true Daniel Sturridge fashion, he was soon back with a bang. A goal against Villa in the 6-0 Valentine’s day massacre and a healthy 60 minutes under his belt, Liverpool fans rejoiced at having their one truly world-class player back in the side, and looked forward to the days to come of Klopp leading the mighty Reds to Premier League glory (or other interchangeable, unrealistic achievements).

But not all is well with Daniel Sturridge and Liverpool quite yet. A mediocre showing away at Ausburg in the Europa League did nothing to soothe the nerves of Liverpool fans still worried that he’s not in a harmonious relationship with his German manager.

Withdrawn after 70 minutes, with another good set of first team minutes in the quiver, he received just a handshake from hug advocate Klopp, and dragged his heels to the bench no quicker than he’d made any run on the pitch. Though he’s never been a huge presser – particularly as a lone striker – Sturridge looked at times short of interest, and either selfish or desperate late on when he rejected the opportunity to slide in Jordan Henderson on goal, instead opting for a timid shot from distance at the oppositions goal.

So what’s next for Daniel Sturridge? At this point, his future is still up in the air. Many teams would love to have him in their side when he’s fit and firing, but I’m sure that number drops significantly when he’d demand such a pay check to probably miss such a large majority of the season. Sure, there are options outside of the traditional top four, with West Ham United said to be sniffing, but the truth is that Sturridge is way beyond them, and his talents make him everything a Liverpool fan adores.

If he can push himself to stay fitter, Daniel Sturridge can be the focal point of a new look Liverpool, perhaps destined for their best spell of success for a decade. If he’s going to let paper talk and impatient fans get on his back, however, it’s unlikely he’ll have many more chances to lead the line for one the big boys in the Premier League. Only time will tell what the England frontman’s future holds, so for now Liverpool fans will just have to be patient (and check his instagram for dubious likes, of course).

Featured image: All rights reserved by Sandra.