Liverpool legend says 27-year-old could be ‘first name on the team sheet’ if he gets his act together
By Abigail Withey
Liverpool legend turned football pundit Graeme Souness has said that forward Daniel Sturridge needs to get his act together in training if he wants to succeed at a top club.
The 27-year-old has made a total of 119 appearances, scored 61 goals and provided a further 21 assists throughout his time at Anfield and was once the club’s first-choice forward.
However, throughout the previous season the England international made just 27 appearances and managed to bag seven goals as the forward struggled with fitness.
The former Manchester City starlet has suffered from a number of niggling injuries over the past campaign and was particularly affected by a continued hip problem.
Souness was a guest on talkSPORT show ‘Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast’ on Wednesday and spoke about the importance of Sturridge’s fitness if he wants to climb back up in Jurgen Klopp’s pecking order.
Speaking on the radio show, the pundit was quoted on talkSPORT’s official website, and said: “If Daniel Sturridge didn’t have these issues of keeping fit, he’d be the first name on the team sheet.
“I think he’s got amazing qualities, but he just can’t get himself fit.”
The former Scotland midfielder also told the radio show that the ex-Chelsea forward needs to have a better attitude in training as Souness observed the Englishman during a warm up and said Sturridge was “pathetic”.
On Alan Brazil’s morning show Souness said: “I saw a game towards the end of the season and the camera panned on Sturridge and it showed him warming up, and it was pathetic. He wasn’t stretching properly, he was just going through the motions.
“If that’s him preparing for a game, if he’s like that every day in training, you’ve got to get that right first of all. That’s the first thing I’d look at – his training.”
Sturridge’s frustrating season at Anfield meant that speculation surrounded the forward’s future with the club, but Jurgen Klopp apparently blocked the forward’s potential transfer to West Ham or Paris Saint-Germain.
Klopp will need Sturridge to be back to full fitness for the 2017/18 campaign as the Merside club aim for the Premier League title.
In other Liverpool news, they have reached an agreement with a Championship club for Sheyi Ojo.
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Liverpool breaking news.