There was always an expectation that Daniel Sturridge would miss out on Liverpool’s game against Crystal Palace following reports he had not taken part in several training sessions during the week.
It seems that prospect is about to become a reality with the striker set to be unavailable after suffering a recurrence of the hip injury that saw him sidelined during periods throughout February and March, according to the Liverpool Echo.
His absence adds to Liverpool’s current injury crisis heading into the game with Joel Matip, Lucas Leiva and Ragnar Klavan still all doubts.
Though it doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue for the forward, it is yet another setback and one that potentially reduces his chances of playing for Liverpool again with rumours suggesting he could leave Anfield in the summer.
Being unable to feature for the club again before the end of the season would be a cruel way to end his career on Merseyside if that does turn out to be the case. To see a man of his talent and star quality hampered so regularly by injuries is a crying shame.
His recent knock poses a reminder of a recurring theme to a torrid couple of seasons for the 27-year-old. Whether he is at Liverpool or somewhere else next year, we just hope he can stay fit and start doing what he does best again by scoring goals.