Is Daniel Sturridge set to leave Liverpool in January?

According to reports, Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge could leave the club in the January transfer window in hopes of earning regular first-team football and a spot at next year’s World Cup.

The Mirror reports that 28-year-old Sturridge is desperate to reclaim his place in the England National Team setup and could leave Liverpool, having been an unused substitute in their previous two fixtures.

Sturridge, who has previously played for Manchester City, Chelsea and Bolton, had a positive start to his career at Anfield – scoring 31 goals in his first 43 league appearances for the club.

His partnership with Luis Suarez during the 2013-14 Premier League season saw the club come excruciatingly close to claiming the title and the future looked exceptionally bright for the Englishman.

But Suarez left for Barcelona and the injury bug has hit Daniel Sturridge multiple times since that season and the story of his career has taken a disappointing turn in recent years.

This season Sturridge has featured in just eight Premier League matches, four of them in the starting eleven, scoring two goals and picking up an assist in the process.

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Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane have been the preferred attacking options for Jurgen Klopp, forcing Sturridge to sit on the bench and hope for an opportunity to shine.

But with Gareth Southgate’s England team beginning to prepare for the World Cup in Russia next year, Sturridge needs to play regularly if he has any hopes of making the 23-man squad.

A player of Sturridge’s quality will no doubt have plenty of suitors in the Premier League, despite his injury record over the past few seasons.

A top team such as Tottenham could use a player such as Sturridge, helping to support top goal scorer Harry Kane – who has also recently returned from a short injury spell.

But if an offer from a Top-Six team doesn’t come, a move further down the league table may be required for Sturridge to earn regular minutes on the pitch.

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Clubs such as Newcastle United and Leicester could be interesting prospects for Sturridge, though it would largely depend on the transfer fee that Liverpool place on the striker.

If Daniel Sturridge is able to reclaim the form he showed in his early Liverpool days for another club, the future could be bright for both club and player and a spot in Southgate’s team could be a more realistic goal.