19 Jan 2017

Gerrard Warns: 'Phenomenal' £30m Liverpool star may quit Anfield soon because he 'won't want to be third-choice'

Reds legend Steven Gerrard has suggested that one of Liverpool's best attacking players may have no choice but to quit Anfield this summer.

Speaking to BT Sport during Liverpool's 1-0 FA Cup victory over Plymouth Argyle, Gerrard hailed Sturridge as 'phenomenal' and rejected suggestions that the striker doesn't fit into Jurgen Klopp's system. He further added:

"I know Daniel. He won’t want to be third choice striker, and he won't want to be a bit-part player. He’ll be keeping an eye on things until the end of the season, and then, he'll have a big decision to make about his future".

I'm a massive fan of 'exceptional' Sturridge, but I don't allow bias to get in the way of reality, and the question right now is simply this: will Liverpool miss Sturridge if he leaves in the summer?

In my view, the answer is...not so much. The team is banging in goals left, right, and centre this season, and 49 goals in the Prem already (47 of which have come from other players) starkly illustrates that the team can survive without him.

That said, I have no doubt that Sturridge will thrive under a different manager. Players flourish when they have the confidence and faith of the manager (just look at Adam Lallana, for example), and Sturridge doesn't have that from Klopp, who has made it clear that the striker is a squad player, and not a first-choice starter.

As Gerrard suggests, a confident, fully-fit Sturridge - who, incidentally, is averaging a goal/assist every 99 mins this season - is a 'phenomenal' goalscorer, but it looks like his time at LFC may (sadly) be drawing to a close.

* Sturridge: £30m-rated.


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