One of Liverpool’s most naturally gifted strikers from a rich history, Daniel Sturridge was today released from the Merseyside club just days after claiming a Champions League winners medal.
At 29 years of age, and with his previous contract paying him £120,000 per week, the Reds have decided against throwing vast sums of money at the England international given his injury history.
With the emergence of Brazilian Firmino becoming Jurgen Klopp’s central striker mainstay, Sturridge has been reduced to a peripheral figure in recent years, although he made 20+ appearances from the subs bench.
Given the glorious moments the attacker has given the Anfield favourite, Klopp gave a glowing farewell.
“Daniel has earned the right to be considered a modern-day Liverpool great”, he said “I would think. He came to the club while we were trying to rebuild and re-establish ourselves. Some of the goals he has scored for Liverpool were so, so, so important.
“We will miss them of course, but we can say farewell with the best words possible: Guys, you leave as European champions.”
Following a dazzling start to life at Anfield following his £12million move from Chelsea in January 2013, Sturridge would go on to combine with Luis Suarez and create one of the Premier Leagues greatest ever strike forces, culminating in a closely fought title race with eventual winners Manchester City.
The skilfully striker netted an incredible 35 goals in 49 games in the calendar year of 2014, such form demanded a black type bet. The goals would calm the nerves of the home contingent when Suarez up and left for Barcelona, it of course wasn’t to go the way they hoped.
Left with the responsibility of leading Liverpool’s line, the former Manchester City trainee would go on to play in just 18 of the next 100 games since the Uruguayan up and left.
A troublesome thigh and hip left Sturridge often on the treatment table, to add insult to injury, he even gained the suspicious glances of then manager Brendan Rodgers – the goal that punters would have made a fortune from, preferably through sites like mypromocode would quickly dry out…
Desperate for his prize forward to be fighting fit in a waning spell, Rodgers criticised the strikers unwillingness to train unless 100% – sentiment that led to Sturridge uttering;
“To say a player doesn’t want to play is the biggest disrespect you can say to any footballer. It’s astonishing,” he said.
“Nobody will understand what it means to me to play football. It hurts not to play. A lot of things people say about me isn’t the truth.”