Now that Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is set to be on the shelf for a further six weeks after already missing the last ten with a variety of ailments, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has asked the Melwood medical staff to delve a bit deeper into the root causes behind his recurring thigh issues.
“It’s hugely disappointing to lose a player of that quality,” the Northern Irishman told the press before revealing that there was nothing extraordinary about the circumstances in which Sturridge suffered his latest setback. “It happened in a session and it was quite innocuous. He did it when he just flicked the ball, it wasn’t a shot or anything that looked serious. But obviously he felt the pain and then when the medical team told me the next day after the scan it was disappointing.”
The 24-year old was expected to return to the Liverpool starting eleven when they take on Crystal Palace this weekend after resuming full training at Melwood over the international break, but a recurrence of the thigh problem, although in a different location, that initially ruled out him of action at the beginning of September will keep him off the pitch until the New Year — a troubling turn of events for a side that is languishing in the wrong half of the table.
“Whether Daniel needs to see a specialist is something that the medical team are looking into. I think that’s his ninth injury on that thigh from previous clubs and here so there is an issue there somewhere” continued Rodgers with a notable sense of concern. “Most players you’ll find want to play through an injury to get onto the field. Very few go out there and are 100%. The scan shows a slight tear just below where he had a previous injury.”
