Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is injured again and Jurgen Klopp has every reason to give up on him
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has a ton of football talent. Unfortunately, he rarely gets a chance to show it out on the pitch due to his extensive injury list. His boss Jurgen Klopp may just give up on the talented front man.
Sturridge only managed to play 28 minutes against Newcastle before picking up his latest knock. He’s now complaining of a hamstring injury that figures to keep him out for a few more matches at least. Shockingly, it’s the third injury Sturridge has suffered in Klopp’s brief two month tenure. This is not the best way to make a good impression on a new manager.
Klopp has already showed his irritation at Sturridge and his propensity to be injured. Just a few weeks ago he went public and claimed that the England forward needed to learn how to better play with pain. Those were the first shots fired by the German manager towards his delicate striker.
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Now, Daniel Sturridge should be concerned that Klopp’s frustration level will rise significantly. Just as Liverpool has begun to find their footing under Klopp, Sturridge has popped up with another injury. Klopp values toughness and durability in his star players and throughout his brief tenure, Sturridge hasn’t managed to display any of either quality.
So far in Sturridge’s career his high level of talent has made it easier for managers to overlook his lack of toughness. Klopp won’t make this mistake. He will rightly demand more out of Sturridge than any other manager has before. The only trouble is that we can’t be sure that Sturridge has Klopp’s type of toughness in him. We’ve been given no signs of it so far in his career. What if Sturridge is just soft?
It’s this distinct possibility that could very easily make Klopp give up on Sturridge no matter how talented he is. Let’s be frank, Klopp can attract a talented striker to come and play for him at Liverpool. He doesn’t need Daniel Sturridge to be the answer to his prayers up top. He can do without him.
Daniel Sturridge on the other hand, may very well need Jurgen Klopp. He’s earned a reputation as a soft centre forward and earning the respect of Klopp might be the only way for him to convince people otherwise. Unfortunately for him, he’s very close to losing that opportunity for good.
The January transfer window is creeping ever closer and Klopp could opt to give up on Sturridge entirely. No one could blame him for making this decision. He’s barely had an opportunity to see him play during his Liverpool tenure. There’d definitely be a significant market for him so he could be sold without ever receiving regular playing time under Klopp.
Daniel Sturridge better get his act together if he wants to play a key role for Jurgen Klopp. He does need to learn to play through pain or else he may end up somewhere else as a pain in a new manager’s rear.