The Liverpool striker apparently wants out of Anfield this summer
In a rather strange turn of events, news has broken in the past 24 hours that Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge will seek a move away from Anfield at the end of the season.
The 26 year old has spent the majority of the past 18 months on the sidelines and now has spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch since joining the Reds.
Apparently, the striker has become tired of the criticism from fans and some inside the club, who have claimed that he lacks desire and his heart isn’t in it when it comes to playing for Liverpool.
However, the Reds’ manager seems highly amused at the claims, and responding in typical fashion at his pre-Sunderland press conference. He told the assembled press: “Sturridge unhappy? I don’t know where this is coming from and I am not interested in suggestions that he wants to leave.
“He has had problems in the past, but that’s all in the past now. Let’s leave it there. There is no Sturridge story. I have heard nothing about it, so there is nothing else to say on it.”
And, while it’s true that there has certainly been frustration that the player is seemingly always injured, it is really just that (for the most part): frustration. Here is a striker that is one of the best in Europe, who would make a marked difference to the current lineup, but Liverpool fans have seen so little of him in recent years. On top of that, the current Liverpool manager has barely had a chance to use Sturridge.
So claims that members of ‘his camp’ are leaking the news that Sturridge is looking to move seem a little strange, particularly considering the striker has only just returned to full training a few days ago.
Needless to say, the British press (as it always does) has jumped on the news, seeing an attempt to cause further trouble in the Liverpool camp by claiming that the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea would all be interested.
There are still over three months of the season left and, if Sturridge genuinely is tired of the criticism, then it may be time for him to start showing fans what they’ve been missing.
The sad fact is though, that most Liverpool fans don’t need reminding of what Sturridge can do, we all know the quality he possesses and fear he strikes into opposition defences and that is the reason for the frustration: Liverpool fans just want him back in the team.
Hopefully, once the striker returns to the first team, fans can reignite their love-affair with the England star and remind Sturridge it was Anfield where the world discovered what devastating striker he could be. And it was Liverpool fans that made him feel at home.
