Big Problem? Why LFC may have to sell 'special' £29m star to avoid £20m loss repeat

Aaagh! As noted many times, I absolutely hate meaningless international breaks, and one of the main reasons for this is the danger of injuries to Liverpool's key players. Well, this particular injury curse has struck again, and inevitably, it's the increasingly injury-prone Daniel Sturridge who is on the rack. Sturridge is undoubtedly a 'special' player, but his endless injury problems are becoming irritating, and it's a massively frustrating problem for LFC.

According to the BBC:

"Daniel Sturridge has been sent for a scan after he was injured in training on Friday.

"The FA has not revealed the nature of the injury and says Sturridge will be assessed by England's medical staff after his scan".

Since arriving in January 2013, £29m-rated Sturridge has suffered EIGHT separate injuries (including the latest issue):

* SEP 2014: Thigh (awaiting scan results)
* AUG 2014: Hamstring
* APR 2014: Hamstring
* NOV 2013: Ankle Ligaments
* SEP 2013: Hip/Thigh Injury
* MAY 2013: Ankle Ligaments
* FEB 2013: Hamstring
* FEB 2013: Hip/Thigh Injury

Including his pre-LFC career, Sturridge has suffered FOURTEEN injuries since 2011, which is a Daniel Agger-style rate of injury. And it's not just one issue; it's 4 or 5 different problems that keep recurring. It's maddening! Why is Sturridge so injury prone? Why can't Liverpool (or England) manage his susceptibility to injury in a more effective manner?

Sturridge is well aware of his penchant for injury, and he admitted this last season, when he told LFC.com:

"I'd have his [Suarez's] fitness. He must be a man of steel or something. He gets so many kicks and he doesn't seem to feel it, whereas I get a few niggles here and there and it's very frustrating because it kills the momentum I'm having."

To be fair, it's easy to blame England duty for this latest issue, but the reality is that Sturridge himself (or more accurately, his body) is mostly to blame. He is injury prone, and suffers problems that wouldn't affect the average, robust footballer.

Sturridge is an amazing player, and I'm one of his biggest advocates (and continually reject spurious rumour-mongering about his alleged attitude/arrogance issues), but he is, sadly, unreliable, and this may have a knock-on impact on his future LFC career:

* If the regular injuries continue, LFC may be forced to sign another, more reliable striker, which could lead to Sturridge falling down the pecking order. Given his superb goals/assists rate, I'd hate to see that happen, but the team has to come first, and if Sturridge can't remain consistently fit, then the issue should be addressed.

* It's hard to build a team around a player who is constantly injured, and if Sturridge is not careful, he could go the same way as Agger, who was gradually phased out of the team. Granted, the Dane's form is one of the reasons he's no longer at the club, but his atrocious injury record is another major reason.

* The club may also decide to cash-in on Sturridge at some point to take advantage of his high transfer value, rather than watching his value decline as a result of repeated injuries.

Again, Agger is a good comparison here. In August 2012, Liverpool rejected a £20m bid from Man City, which the club obviously should've accepted. Fast-forward two years, and Liverpool scraped in a paltry £3m for the defender, which represents a major retrospective financial loss.

As such, the club surely has to learn from the Agger situation, and Sturridge could be a victim of a more prudent and pre-emptive approach to transfers relating to injured-plagued players.

Recently, I've argued several times that Rodgers should've signed yet another striker in the transfer window, and this is why. Liverpool have Balotelli, but apart from that, there are no other top-quality options at Anfield. What if Balotelli now gets injured?

Fingers-crossed for the scan, and here's hoping Sturridge's injury issues recede over the next year.

Author: Jaimie K