Another day, another piece of Daniel Sturridge injury news.
The world’s most frustrating footballer told us on Boxing Day when we beat Leicester City that he was ready to return, but over a week later, his manager Jurgen Klopp today rubbished that suggestion by confirming the striker’s been missing training sessions with minor issues.
“Maybe you have the feeling that we’ve been training three weeks with Daniel, and every day you see more and more and more and more, and every day he gets fitter and fitter and fitter and fitter – but in the end I say I say ‘no – we wait’,” he told a packed press-conference – cited by the official website.
“Daniel has had some problems, more or less. Not serious, but he could not train.
“When he’s had a row of sessions, I will pick him. He’s not available.”
What else is there left to say about Daniel Sturridge?
The striker needs a proper pre-season we suppose, which he’s oddly having during the most intense period of our campaign instead of the summer.
“Daniel had last pre-season in 2011. During that period we load bodies with strength. We’re trying to fill his body with energy,” Klopp continued, explaining why it’s so crucial that the player’s fitness and not Liverpool’s striking woes are concentrated on.
With Sturridge unlikely to feature in our next three of four matches, Klopp has only Christian Benteke or Roberto Firmino to choose from up top. Divock Origi and Danny Ings are both out, meaning we badly need one of the available forwards to step it up – as neither have proved worthy of their large summer price-tags so far.
On Sturridge, the seemingly endless wait continues.