Daniel Sturridge will not play for Liverpool until 2015 following his latest injury setback in his nightmare season.
The England striker is set for another six weeks on the side-lines after scans confirmed he had suffered a grade two thigh strain during training at Melwood on Monday.
Sturridge suffered an injury on the same thigh in September while on England duty but his current injury is totally different. The rehab process, however, remains the same which means he will miss a huge chunk of the campaign.
Sturridge has already missedLiverpool’s last 14 games but he could potentially miss their next twelve games , which include games against FC Ludogorets next Tuesday and Basle (December9) that will determine their Champions League destiny this season.
Sturridge will also miss games against Manchester united (December 14) and Arsenal at Anfield (December 21), as well as a Capital One Cup tie away at Bournemouth.
Liverpool said in a statement: ‘LFC confirmed scans have revealed Daniel Sturridge has sustained a new thigh injury. The player will remain unavailable for selection but will be monitored and assessed during his recovery.’
It is a massive blow for Brendan Rodgers, who had been hoping to relaunch Sturrudge’s campaign at Crystal Palace on Sunday, but his patience will now be being tested by how much the 25-year-old has been out.
After Liverpool drew 0-0 with Hull last month, Rodgers gave a glimpse of his feelings of being without Sturridge when he said: ‘He won’t become a top European striker until he plays consistently. It doesn’t matter about potential. You have to play.’ When Sturridge first damaged his thigh at St George’s Park on September 5, his recovery was slower than expected and he ended up back at square one when he pulled a calf muscle in training.
Sturridge resumed full training once again at Melwood last week but he now has to start the rehabilitation process all over again and, for Rodgers, it could not have come at a worse time.
In an attempt to find a solution, they would be prepared to offer Lille more money to secure Divock Origi’s release from a season-long in January. They signed the Belgium international for £10million in the summer but agreed to loan him back to Lille immediately.