The 24-year old stirred up a bit of a row with the boss after playing the full ninety-minutes in England’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Germany despite the fact that he was carrying a knock; heads were heated, things were said and flags were waived, but now that we’re back to the kind of football that matters, it seems it sounds like the striker is in line for a recall to the starting eleven – even with the boss giving aloof answers to straight questions.
When asked whether Sturridge will be fit and ready to go for the weekend, Rodgers didn’t exactly say “yes” but he certainly didn’t say “no” – instead, he arrived at what he deemed to be an acceptable answer in typical roundabout fashion. “He has certainly trained very hard this week, said the Reds boss. “We’ve got another day to go to prepare and see where all the players are at.”Although Liverpool have no fresh injury concerns going into the match with Hull City this weekend, Rodgers will be faced with a number of line-up choices with both Victor Moses and Aly Cissokho looking to regain their spots in the squad; still, you get the feeling that when Rodgers says “all the players”, there’s only one in particular he means.
Sturridge has found the net nine times already this season and his most recent strike was one of his most important as he came from the bench to score the equalizer against Everton last Saturday. His fitness may not be the make or break difference this weekend, but Rodgers – much like everyone is – knows that having him in the side isn’t going to hurt our chances. “He has worked exceptionally well and, when he does that, his quality is there for everyone to see” said the boss. Nine goals already? Quality is a bit of an understatement…
