No pressure on Sturridge return - Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers wants Daniel Sturridge to complete
his return to fitness steadily following his first
Liverpool outing in over five months.

Daniel Sturridge is under no pressure to get back to full fitness
quickly according to Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers.

Injury problems limited Sturridge to just 12 Premier League
appearances last season, with hip surgery required at the end of
the campaign.

The England international completed his return after over five
months on the sidelines, playing an hour in the 1-1 draw with
Norwich City on Sunday.

However, Rodgers insists there is no need for Sturridge to rush
himself into match condition and instead promoted a steady
integration into the starting line-up.

"I felt it was important to get him on the field," the Liverpool
coach said. "I thought he did well for the hour that he played.

"He's still a way off his full fitness but his presence and stature
in the game will always give us hope because he’s got big
quality.

"I think it's just about games for him, building his fitness and
there's no pressure for him to do that."