Klopp unsure of When Sturridge will be fit Again

Jürgen Klopp has said he does not know when
Daniel Sturridge will be fit after ruling the
Liverpool striker out of the next two games against
West Ham United and Leicester City.

Sturridge has played only 106 minutes under Klopp
and would have been on course to feature against
Slaven Bilic’s team in the FA Cup fourth round had
he trained without interruption this week. That has
not been possible, with the 26-year-old continuing
to suffer setbacks during his rehabilitation
programme, and the Liverpool manager admits he
has no idea when the England international will
return. Sturridge has been unavailable for 54.8% of
his time at Liverpool so far, missing 615 days out of
1,122 on Merseyside.

Klopp said: “He is still working. Sometimes it is
better, sometimes it is a bit worse because of other
issues. That is all. He has done a lot of sessions in
the last few weeks but it is always interrupted with
a few breaks. He needs consistency in the sessions
and that’s what we try to do. His injury history
means this is normal. It is not coincidence.

“Some things are not right if you are injured that
often. We have to be really sensitive with all the
information we get. He could do a lot of sessions in
the last few weeks but, like I said, they have always
been interrupted with a few different issues where
we always have to see and wait on what happens.

That is how it is.

There is no doubt that he is a very, very good
player but at this moment he is not available so we
don’t have to talk too much about him. He is not
here. He cannot play tomorrow for sure, not
against Leicester (in the Premier League next
Tuesday) and I don’t know what happens after
Leicester to be honest.”

The Liverpool manager revealed his players ran a
total of 156km in the Capital One Cup semi-final
win over Stoke City – the highest tally of his
managerial career for a 120-minute game. With that
in mind, and given the impact of injuries on his
resources in recent weeks, Klopp will repeat his
approach against Exeter City and field another
young side against West Ham.

Klopp, who is expected to start with a central
defensive pairing of Dejan Lovren and Steven
Caulker, said: “It will be another young side but it
depends on what you mean by young, though. It
will be a different team from the last game, for
sure. We have no other choice. We want to go to a
final but after Stoke, it’s West Ham, then Leicester.
We have to make a few changes but only because I
want to win the game. When I think of the Exeter
game at Anfield it was great. The boys who come in
will give everything.

“They will always be fighting and I love that
attitude.”