Will enigmatic Liverpool striker finally be frozen out for good this season?

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge could be fighting a losing battle by bidding for a regular role in Klopp’s all-star attacking line-up.

The Red’s signed Sturridge back in 2013 from Chelsea, where he had spent 4 years of his career languishing on the fringes of the first team as well as playing for Bolton Wanderers on loan.

At Stamford Bridge, the promise of his potential one day being fulfilled was not enough for the club to remain patient, amid inconsistent performances and an egotistical approach to training. The 28-year-old has always been a talented player capable of being a difference-maker on his day, but he is also arguably one of the most frustrating footballers England has ever produced.

Liverpool would discover as much eventually, but when he initially arrived at Anfield 5 years ago it seemed that he had finally found the perfect environment for his maverick style to flourish.

He developed an instant understanding with Uruguayan superstar Luis Suarez and with fellow England international Raheem Sterling also breaking into the first team at the time, then manager Brendan Rodgers had one of the most potent attacking forces in the Premier League at his disposal.

Sturridge scored 21 league goals in the 2013-14 season, which was only bettered by Suarez who picked up the golden boot for that year, as The Red’s came agonisingly close to winning the title. Manchester City just pipped them to the post in the end, but the former Chelsea man certainly played his part in what was a thrilling domestic campaign that so nearly garnered a return to the glory days for the red half of Merseyside.

Unfortunately, his career seemed to peak that year, as in the seasons that followed Sturridge struggled to have anywhere near close to the same impact. Suarez moved on immediately after the league failure, swapping England for Spain with Barcelona and his absence quickly disrupted the harmony within the team.

Liverpool finished 6th the following year and Sturridge missed over 5 months of the season due to injury, which would become a recurring theme over his next three seasons with the club. Fast forward to present day and the much-maligned forward has barely been able to string a run of more than 3 or 4 consecutive appearances together in current boss Jurgen Klopp’s side.

He made the headlines this weekend for the right reasons, scoring the team’s 4th goal in the opening game of their 2018/19 campaign against West Ham, with his first touch after coming off the bench late on. However, even if he can remain fully fit, it appears unlikely that he will manage to become a regular starter, especially after the influx of summer signings at Anfield.

Naby Keita, Alisson, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri were all brought in by Klopp during the transfer window, adding to his plethora of attacking options and bringing greater balance to the squad overall.

Sturridge spent the second half of last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion and recent history suggests that his fitness and mentality are not of a high enough standard to be guaranteed any sort of prosperous future with Liverpool.

As The Daily Star reports, former Everton footballer and BEin Sports pundit Andy Gray summed up the striker’s situation perfectly after Sunday’s game, speaking live: “No one doubts the ability the young man’s got,

“I have doubted his desire to put himself out there on the football pitch time and time again.

“Listen, it’s a great start for him.

“I’m not going overboard about Daniel Sturridge but there’s too many times when he’s let too many people down.”

Since Jurgen Klopp’s arrival at the club, he has transformed the team into a high intensity, high energy and all-out attacking outfit capable of scoring goals against any team in Europe, as underlined by Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final last season.

Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are usually his first choice front 3, none of whom resemble what you would call a typical centre-forward. All of whom, however, are willing runners who constantly stay on the move and look for space in behind to hurt the opposition.

Where does a Daniel Sturridge type player fit into that kind of attacking trio? Klopp is famous for employing a high-pressing system when out of possession, which requires all the players on the pitch to be relentless in their pursuit of the ball during transitions and helps make sure that Liverpool are difficult to hit on the counter-attack.

The England international has never been inclined to close down opposition players in that manner and the stubborn nature he has displayed throughout his career indicates that is unlikely to change any time soon.

The future looks bright for Liverpool as they bid to dethrone Manchester City as Premier League champions this year, but don’t be surprised if Sturridge isn’t a particularly big part of that challenge, or if he is even still at Anfield this time next year.