Liverpool legend demands summer striker signing following Sturridge blow

Posted by

How will the Reds cope in the continued absence of our top striker?

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has urged Reds manager Brendan Rodgers to sign a striker this summer, to avoid being held back by Daniel Sturridge’s continued injury concerns.

SEE MORE:
Liverpool confident of signing Danny Ings despite Borussia Dortmund interest
West Ham ace holding out hope for Liverpool transfer this summer
Liverpool transfer news

Sturridge only returned from a near five-month absence at the end of January, and is now sidelined again after a slight tear to his hip muscle sustained during the defeat to Manchester United last weekend.

The 25-year-old has sustained 14 separate injuries since moving to Anfield from Chelsea in January 2013, and the Reds are growing increasingly frustrated with our star man’s inability to stay fit.

After finishing second to teammate Luis Suarez in the Premier League’s scoring charts last season, Sturridge has managed just seven league starts so far this term, and scored only four goals.

There is little doubting his quality, but with little in the way of back-up – Rodgers has generally played Raheem Sterling through the middle in Sturridge’s absence, rather than another striker – Lawrenson feels that someone must come in.

He told the Liverpool Echo: “If the injury to Daniel Sturridge has underlined one thing, it’s that Liverpool need to buy a new frontline striker.

“It’s a no-brainer. They need someone who is pacey, and that’s so important in the modern game. Sturridge is probably always going to be quite brittle when it comes to fitness, so we need someone who is going to take the burden off him.

“I would always play Sturridge if he is fit. He is our best striker, and against Manchester United he didn’t get any service but still managed to score a goal.

“He gives you so much in terms of what the opposition have to do to cope with him. We don’t have another player like him.

“We all know that when a player comes back from a long spell out injured, he gets through on adrenaline early on and then they feel as though they are running through treacle.”

 

More Stories Daniel Sturridge