Jurgen Klopp is toying with Daniel Sturridge’s future at Liverpool

Daniel Sturridge is starting to grumble about his playing time at Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is squarely in the midst of his honeymoon period at Anfield currently, but he is risking serious credibility over his treatment of striker Daniel Sturridge. The English attacker has struggled mightily in the past with injuries, but there’s no reason he isn’t starting every match for Klopp when fit.

Some Liverpool fans may claim that Sturridge hasn’t been fit long enough to complain, but it’s clear that he isn’t pleased with his inconsistent playing time as of late. He recently told Goal.com that he wants to “play ever minute” and went on to claim he could see himself leaving Liverpool in the future. His comments weren’t exactly combative, but they didn’t sound like a man enjoying his time under Klopp.

It’s distinctly possible that Klopp just doesn’t feel as if he can count on Sturridge as a long-term starter. It would be hard to argue with that line of thinking given his injury history, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s clearly Klopp’s best striking option on the current roster. There was simply no reason to leave him on the bench as the German manager did in the club’s most recent Europa League match versus Villareal.

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That decision contributed to the club’s loss versus the La Liga club, but it could be even more costly to Liverpool in the long run. Sturridge could decide that he doesn’t want to figure into Klopp’s long-term plans and demand a move away from the club. That would be the worst case scenario for folks at Anfield.

The ideal scenario would be for Sturridge to miraculously remain healthy for years and reach his full potential leading thie Liverpool attack. Even if that’s not possible, Liverpool would want to part with Sturridge on their own terms if he were to leave. Him expressing his displeasure in public will only drive any potential transfer price they might receive through the floor.

Liverpool fanatics will say that Sturridge won’t matter because Klopp will use his European contacts to purchase a big-name striker this summer. That’s certainly possible, but there just aren’t that many strikers in the world who have more natural ability than Sturridge. On his day, he’s one of the top strikers in Europe. The trouble, of course, is that his days are too few and far between.

It’s little problems with players like this that would make me nervous about Klopp if I were a Liverpool supporter. His qualms with Christian Benteke can be explained away because of the Belgian’s lack of form, but Sturridge has been productive when he’s made the lineup. He should be getting along much better with the electric attacker.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp needs to mend fences with Daniel Sturridge before it’s too late. If he continues to jerk Sturridge’s playing time around he may find himself short a very talented striker when next year begins.