Daniel Sturridge is off again

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remained calm when discussing Daniel Sturridge’s latest injury setback but insisted the striker needs to adapt to pain.

The 26-year-old has become a familiar name on the injury list over the past year due to a series of injury problems which have severely curtailed his first-team involvement.

“You have to learn what is serious pain or only pain – but of course everyone wants him back”.

“If it wasn’t someone with the quality of Daniel no-one would think about it”.

“They did well but we knew [about them] before and that it can be hard to defend against them, so you have to be better with the ball and then they cannot do this”.

Speaking after Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Bordeaux secured the Reds a place in the last 32, Klopp added: “It wasn’t a situation I saw because we trained in two groups – the starting line-up and the other players”.

Afterwards, Klopp told his post-match press conference: “I am very happy to have qualified, the team are very happy to have qualified, the club are very happy to be qualified, so you [the press] can be very happy to have qualified!”

Carragher sticks by his previous claim that Sturridge, when fit, is second only to Sergio Aguero in the Premier League goalscoring stakes.

“I understand why everybody’s waiting”, the Liverpool boss said.

Asked about the England striker’s condition and if there was a chance he could face the Swans, Klopp said: “I don’t know”. “We had some new things to talk about, so we have to make some assessment”, he said at Melwood.

The injuries he has suffered since the start of last season.

But former Liverpool captain John Barnes believes Sturridge will eventually lose out if the England global chooses to stay in the treatment room to fix all his ailments.

Klopp also questioned whether Christian Benteke, whose brilliantly-taken goal won the game against Bordeaux, is ready to start again after 90 minutes against the French club.

“The German has been able to work his magic quickly and actually the 0-0 in his first game at Tottenham looks like a good result for them. We have to decide”.