BRENDAN RODGERS ADMITS Daniel Sturridge is unlikely to return to top form until next season, but urged the striker to find a way to play through the pain barrier until the end of the campaign.
England international Sturridge has been beset by thigh and hamstring problems this term and has been restricted to just 12 Premier League appearances, scoring four goals.
It marks a stark contrast to 2013-14, where he formed a deadly partnership with Luis Suarez and netted 21 times in 29 league outings.
The former Chelsea man recently suggested that it will take for him to rediscover top form after his injury woes.
Manager Rodgers agrees with that assertion, but is still hoping to see a decent return until the end of the season.
“When you’re out for that length of time, it maybe takes you the same amount of time to get back again. The key for him was to get back and be fit, but he needs a good pre-season – a total run – and hopefully he’ll be fine for next season,” Rodgers said.
“Until that point, we have to maximise what we can get out of him.
“Everybody is different when they get injured and how they deal with it. A player will never be 100 per cent fit – more or less – when he plays. They’re always carrying something.
“If it hinders performance, then you can only trust the player that he cannot give any more or they can’t operate at the level they want to because of injury.
“With Daniel, there’s been a number of injuries that he’s had and that’s before he came here. He had a fairly sustained run last season and served us well, but this season has been difficult.
“He just needs to find a way to physically and mentally try to keep himself as fit as he can, but sometimes that isn’t all down to you sometimes it’s about luck as well.”
