World Cup ambitions, a proven Premier League goal scoring record and a striker who is proficient enough to get into any Premier League side, yet striker Daniel Sturridge remains overlooked at Liverpool and according to reports could be on the way to Serie A outfit Inter Milan.
With the Russia World Cup a matter of months away, the England international needs playing time and fast. Having missed 12 games in total down to injury and question marks surrounding his fitness, he makes for an outlived figure on the Anfield touchline.
Not to his own demise either, the fact remains simple, his manager Jurgen Klopp has a specific style of play, a philosophy Sturridge has trailed yet so badly erred. Something Sturridge’s main competitor Roberto Firmino abides by. The quick explosive pace to turn defence into attack, the ability to not only score goals but to turn provider for the talents of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Shown in his 16 goals and eight assists in 22 appearances, a record Sturridge could only hope he got the opportunity to match. It is hard to compare to a front three who aid a side that have scored the second most goals in the league this season (54).
Reaching his prime at 29, Sturridge needs to part company, especially if he is to be on the plane to Russia and with a loan move looking to be his only way out, he needs to take full advantage.
Many may feel injuries have got the better of him and that he has surpassed his sell by date but cast your mind back to five seasons ago when Liverpool finished second in the 2013/14 campaign.
His 22 league goals were only bettered by the mesmerising Luis Suarez and his overall tally of 28 goals in 42 appearances for club and country set him aside as one of England’s most prolific talisman.
There have been reminders since, the brace he acclaimed against Tottenham last term or the goals he scored in the run up to the Europa League final including the final itself recaps the mind that there is an adept player under the bewildered striker.
The former Chelsea man’s talent is there to be seen, it is just confidence and match sharpness he appears to lack.
While the likelihood of Klopp wanting to strengthen one of his Premier League rivals by allowing the forward to go to them remains unrealistic, a team like Chelsea or Everton would only prosper with him at the front.
Hear me out, not for one second am I hinting that Sturridge would want to test the unforgiving Liverpool supporters and make the disenchanted switch to the blue side of Merseyside.
But, it could act as a career move which could reinvigorate his hunger for the game. Everton revitalised Romelu Lukaku’s career once he stagnated at Chelsea, granted he has a lot of years ahead of Sturridge, but it was a step back that allowed him to refine his game.
Chelsea on the other hand have one factor in common with him, they are both in need of a quick fix to enlighten them to the path they want to be on.
All the Englishman requires is a run of games where he can rekindle his eye for goal and the rest will take care of itself. However, for the spark to return, he needs to put Liverpool behind him and take a step back in order to make the leap forward.
