One to Watch – Daniel Sturridge

Name: Daniel Sturridge

Date of Birth: 1/9/1989

Nationality: England

Former Clubs: Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers

League Appearances (Goals): 109 (36)

International Appearances (Goals): 5 (1)

Stat of the Day: Daniel Sturridge`s hat-trick against Fulham last weekend was the 11th in the Premier League this season – still eight short of the record total set last season

Player Profile: With the impending departure of Luis Suarez lurking round Anfield, it is perhaps now the chance for Daniel Sturridge to step up and accept the mantle left by Suarez himself, and previously Fernando Torres, who both assumed the role of superstar on the red side of Merseyside. Still only 23 and having already featured for both Manchester City and Chelsea, where things unfortunately didn`t quite take off for the striker, it now appears Sturridge is finally living up to his early potential. This is largely down to Brendan Rodgers` decision to play the England international in his favoured central role, something previous Chelsea managers didn`t quite warm to. Still possessing the flamboyance of a successful striker, the flashy, arrogant side associated with Sturridge in his youth days, appears to have partially subsided and his nine goals and four assists in 13 Premier League games have got Liverpool fans excited about what the frontman can bring to Anfield in his next few seasons at the club.

Having been shipped out on the left wing during his time at Stamford Bridge and only appearing infrequently at City, Sturridge has done well to bide his time and wait for his moment to shine. He possesses a creative spark that many English players lack and while things are going well, no one would begrudge him the opportunity to try something out of the ordinary. There have been many mercurial stars whose form has inexplicably fluctuated up and down, and while Sturridge may be a prime example of such a player, it appears Rodgers has achieved an astute piece of business in picking up the 23 year old for £12 million.

Player History:

Originally from Birmingham, Daniel Sturridge joined the Aston Villa youth ranks at the age of seven, before moving to Coventry four years later. He eventually joined the Manchester City Academy in 2003. The following year he finished as top scorer and voted MVP at the Nike Would Premier Cup, the world`s largest Under 15 tournament. He made his first team debut at City as a substitute in a game against Reading in 2007, and scored his first goal for the club in an FA Cup match against Sheffield United a year later having sustained an injury that kept him out for almost a year.

He continued to feature for City`s youth team, guiding them to the FA Youth Cup in the 2007/2008 campaign, as he was voted Manchester City`s Young Player of the Season. Sturridge decided to let his contract run down at City as he signed a four year deal at Chelsea in 2009. Following an impressive pre-season, he made his debut for Carlo Ancelotti’s title winners-to-be against Sunderland in August 2009 and got his first start for the club against Bolton at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup. At the end of his first season at Chelsea, Sturridge was the club’s highest scorer in the FA Cup with four strikes as the Londoners clinched the double with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth at Wembley.

On the last day of the 2011 transfer window Sturridge joined Bolton Wanderers on a loan deal until the end of the season. He shone at the Reebok, netting on his debut for Owen Coyle`s side, ending his stay there with a total of eight goals in twelve appearances. Sturridge failed to make an impact under Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo back at Chelsea, and having made 63 league appearances at Stamford Bridge, scoring 13 goals, he moved to Liverpool in January 2013 for a fee of £12 million.

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