Daniel Sturridge has revealed why he will never regret his loan stint at West Bromwich Albion.
Wes Brom was relegated from the Premier League and the Liverpool forward has admitted that the experience at the Hawthorns helped him grow and evolve. A hamstring injury left Sturridge out of action and subsequently missed a slot for World Cup team with Gareth Southgate’s team.
“It was good. I don’t regret anything. The experience made me grow as a person. That is what it is all about – evolving as a man, evolving as a footballer. From the outside looking in, you can also improve. When you are on the inside looking out, you sometimes don’t get to see what you have to do to get to the next level – how you need to change your game. When you are on the inside, you don’t see it. When you are on the outside, you can assess things differently.” Sturridge told reporters.
Sturridge scored against Manchester United in the International Champions Cup as Liverpool won 4-1. He scored his goal within a minute of introduction into action. His fine display had Jurgen Klopp affirming that he would like to keep him at Anfield.
“We have a fantastic relationship. I like him a lot as a person and as a player especially. There is no doubt about his quality. If Daniel is fit, he will play a role in the team, 100 percent,” Klopp said after Liverpool’s 4-1 win against United in Michigan.
Klopp and Liverpool will open their league campaign against West ham United on August 12. They play Napoli on Saturday in another pre-season friendly.
Sturridge has endured an injury-interrupted time under Liverpool’s German manager, but he told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview that he is upbeat about the new campaign. And he says that being away from Liverpool last season made him realise his feelings for the club and why he still wants to be a success at Anfield.
“I’ve never had any issues with anybody at the club,” Sturridge said. “I’ve never had any issues with the manager, with the staff. I love it here. I love the players, but sometimes you have to do something for you.
“It’s the same as, I don’t know, if you’ve been with a woman for a long time, and then you’re like, ‘Man, I don’t feel like it’s working out anymore.’ But then you go away, like, ‘Me and my girl’s relationship was kind of sweet still. I might have to go back there.’ It’s kind of like that.
“Like I said, I’ve always loved the club. I’ve never changed. I don’t see myself going, but you never know what happens in the future. How I am now, I’m enjoying myself, and it’s a great vibe right now, so no complaints at all from me. I’m looking forward to trying to help the team be successful this season.”
Sturridge, whose Liverpool contract expires in June 2019, admits he chose to leave Anfield on loan last season for an unsuccessful spell at West Brom that saw him make just six appearances without scoring.
But despite the stiff competition he has for a first-team place this season, he is confident he can still make an impact for the club.
“Yeah, I chose to go on loan,” he said. “It wasn’t a case of the club saying, ‘We want you to go on loan.’ It was my decision, and the sporting director made it clear, ‘We don’t want you to leave.’ But I thought as if I had to leave to get my head right, to get away from the club to have a new lease, because I’d been there a long time, and I wasn’t playing as regular as I would have liked to.
“Going away to West Brom, I learned, too. You learn things about football. You learn about yourself. You get to assess the situation from the outside, looking in. When you’re on the inside, there’s no other perspective but what you see on the inside. When you’re on the outside you get to look at things a little differently. How you can help, how you can fit in, how you can do certain things differently. So it was a good experience for me.”
But can he break into the team ahead of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Xherdan Shaqiri?
“It’s football, isn’t it?” Sturridge said. “When I was at Chelsea, we had Didier [Drogba], we had [Nicolas] Anelka, we had [Salomon] Kalou, we had [Florent] Malouda. We had loads of players. When I first joined here, we had Luis [Suarez], which people maybe was thinking we were going to play together, but I wasn’t guaranteed to play when I signed for Liverpool.
“I feel like, in football, you always have to prove yourself as well. The past is in the past. Last season was last season. Now it’s a new season. So you have to continually evolve, and you have to continually try and help the team in any way you can, whichever position it may be, whichever team the manager selects, you have to say, ‘OK, cool, that’s for today.’ The next game might change.
“I think, to be successful, you have to have a great squad, too. It’s not about any individuals, although certain players will play more than others. In this day and age, you see squads make the team successful.”