Daniel Sturridge is hurting right now.
Injuries have prevented Sturridge from helping Liverpool for most of 2014-15, and he calls this recent spell on the sidelines the most challenging period in his career.
“I’ve genuinely missed playing so much,” Sturridge told talkSport on Wednesday. “It’s been the most difficult time for myself. It’s been mentally difficult to deal with it. Of course, I want to be playing and I’m putting pressure on myself to get back because I miss it. I want to be out there. I love playing football. It’s not just a job for me. I love everything about the game.”
Sturridge has been a spectator for Liverpool’s last 11 games after suffering a thigh injury in September and a calf injury in October. The 25-year-old striker speculated that his injury problems might be hereditary.
“Maybe it’s my body type, maybe it’s hereditary,” Sturridge said, according to the Guardian. “Both my uncles had injuries, and my dad had them as well. Maybe it’s the Caribbean vibes, maybe I have speed, but maybe it makes you more vulnerable because of the fast twitch muscles and the speed in which you’re moving.
Sturridge is looking forward to playing alongside Mario Balotelli. Sturridge hopes he can translate his friendship with Balotelli into an effective partnership on the field.
“We get on well off the field and in the changing rooms,” Sturridge said. “Once I get back fit, I’m hoping we can strike up a partnership. Last season with Luis (Suárez) we had a great relationship up front and scored a lot of goals. Hopefully this season it will be the same.”
Sturridge also describes much of the criticism of Balotelli has faced recently harsh and unfair.
“He’s a likeable person,” Sturridge said. “I don’t have any bad words to say about him. People don’t realize what he’s been through in his life to get where he is today.”
Sturridge should return from injury by mid-November. When he takes the field again, his pain will subside and Liverpool’s fortunes might improve.
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Photo by LiverpoolFC.com
