Daniel Sturridge injury: Striker ruled out of Liverpool vs West Ham FA Cup tie, will miss Leicester trip, says Jurgen Klopp
Sturridge has made just four starts this seasn and has been ruled out of the Premier League trip to Leicester next week
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Your support makes all the difference.Jürgen Klopp has ruled striker Daniel Sturridge out of Liverpool's Premier League trip to Leicester next week having already revealed that he will not feature in this weekend’s FA Cup fourth round tie against West Ham, and admitted that he doesn’t know when the England international will play again.
Sturridge has not played since the 2-0 defeat by Newcastle at the start of December, and he has started just four matches this season after struggling with calf and thigh injuries.
Last week, Klopp said that Sturridge would miss the Premier League trip to Norwich – a game that ended in dramatic fashion as Adam Lallana secured a 5-4 victory at Carrow Road – as well as the mid-week encounter with Stoke that saw a penalty shootout wins send the Reds to Wembley where they will face Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final.
But speaking in a press conference ahead of the FA Cup visit of West Ham this Saturday, Klopp said when asked about Sturridge’s condition: "No news. He’s still working. He has done lot of sessions in last week's. It always interrupted.
“Sometimes it’s better, sometimes it’s worse,” Klopp added. “That's normal with (his) injury history. We have to be really sensitive. That's how it is.
"I think everyone in this room knows Daniel better than me. There is no doubt about quality. He's a very good player but he's not available. Not available for tomorrow or Leicester. Don't know what happens after Leicester.”
Klopp also revealed that captain Jordan Henderson will not feature against the Hammers as he is still struggling to recover fully from the ankle injury that has hampered his season, having been replaced short of the hour mark during the win over Stoke.
"He did really well for the team,” Klopp said. “[It’s a] Long-term injury and still having pain."
There was good news elsewhere though, with Dejan Lovren back in contention and Steven Caulker available to boost Klopp’s defensive options. Right-back Nathanial Clyne will face a late fitness test before a decision is made on his participation, and while influential midfielder Philippe Coutinho remains out injured Klopp was happy to reveal that he is nearing a return from the hamstring injury he suffered at the start of the year.
He confirmed: "Lovren is back, Caulker is available. Coutinho is close to returning to fitness, still doing rehab. Clyne is possible. Much better."
The German admitted that he is not close to signing any new players ahead of Monday’s transfer window deadline, and stressed that he will not look to buy his way out of the injury crisis that has blighted his start to life at Anfield.
“We are not here to throw money out of the window, we try to work with what we have.”
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