Adam Lallana has waxed lyrical about team-mate Daniel Sturridge, suggesting him being fit and on form this season will be like having ‘two new signings’.
The pair play together for both England and Liverpool, but Sturridge has been unable to show his undeniable skills consistently for some time due to injuries.
Last term, he scored just seven goals in total, but having been fit for many months now, there’s massive hope that Sturridge could become a key member of the first-team again in 2017/18.
Roberto Firmino will likely begin the season as the starting centre-forward, but Sturridge is the far more clinical finisher and definitely has the chance to usurp the Brazilian, or sometimes play alongside him as he did at the very end of 2016/17.
SEE MORE:
Neymar’s WhasApp messages to Coutinho revealed [Sport]
“Studge [Sturridge] has been absolutely brilliant in preseason so far,” Lallana told ESPN.
“He is looking really sharp, and to have him firing on all cylinders would be like having two new signings if we can keep him on the pitch and get him scoring goals. He is a world class player.
“He has come back from the summer looking absolutely brilliant, so fit. He is going to be a massive player for us this season. I can feel it. You couldn’t put a price on him.”
Lallana’s words are very kind, but he still wants us to bring in more quality before the transfer window closes.
So far, Mo Salah has arrived, along with Dominic Solanke and Andrew Robertson – but a centre-back is a priority before the campaign gets underway.
“I want the best players to be linked with Liverpool and coming to Liverpool,” he continued.
“If you are talking about it from a personal point of view, the pressure to get better and the competition for places is healthy. That is what we need.
“At times last year, our bench probably wasn’t as strong as we would have liked it to be. If we are going to achieve something, we are going to need a strong bench.”