Although the late buzz was that Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was in contention for a spot on the bench for Saturday’s draw with cross-town rivals Everton, by the time kick-off rolled around, it was quite evident that he wasn’t quite up to snuff.
The 25-year old, who injured his thigh training on international duty, looked on course to make a return against the Toffee’s after returning to light training earlier than expected, but throwing him into the fray too early and having him pull up again wasn’t a chance that Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was willing to take. This season, another match is always just around the corner and when the Reds travel to Switzerland on Wednesday, the Northern Irishman confirmed that Sturridge will be assessed before they decide whether or not he’ll play any part.
“He wasn’t really close for this game,” explained Rodgers when asked why he didn’t make the bench against Everton. “We needed to see if he could train on the Friday, but I got the message on the Thursday night that he would struggle, so he wasn’t really close to playing. I’ll see how he is [for Basel]. He wasn’t far away for Everton, but he certainly wasn’t fit enough to be on the bench.”
Sturridge scored 21-goals last season as the Anfield outfit qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2009. Liverpool have struggled to find the net without the 25-year old up top with a number of their summer recruits taking more time than expected to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League and bed into the Reds style of play.
