Daniel Sturridge’s injury woes have lead to speculation of his departure from Liverpool, but Jurgen Klopp has recently come out to say that he will be patient with the striker, like he was with Ilkay Gundogan at Dortmund.
The English forwards days as one of the deadliest goalscorers of the Premier League seem ages ago, as he struggles to emulate the highs of the 2013-14 season. Injuries have forced him to sit out most of the Reds games since then.
New manager Jurgen Klopp, however, has had experience in managing injury prone players. German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was also a regular injury list name during Klopp’s days at Borussia Dortmund. He recently spoke out about Sturridge, comparing him to Gundogan and addressing the questions of a possible transfer away.
“I had 15 months with Ilkay Gundogan where we had to all wait. It was his back and we had no chance to force it,” Klopp said, according to fourfourtwo.com. “It’s not a back problem with Daniel, but it’s the muscle… Out of responsibility, we have to do everything we can to give him the physical strength to be able to play Premier League football.”
Patience is necessary
Klopp also added that it was far too soon to make a decision about Sturridge’s future and that, though it would be difficult, patience was necessary in a situation like this.
“I don’t have to make a decision about Daniel,” he said. “Make a decision about what? I have two-and-a-half years left on my contract and have been here three or four months. That’s not a problem… We have to patient. That’s not my best skill, to be honest, but in this case I have no other choice.”
