Alan Hensen: Daniel Sturridge is “The bargain of all time”

Former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen believes that the Merseysiders pulled off a convincing transfer coup when they signed striker Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea for just £12 million in January of 2013, reports theTelegraph.

The 24-year-old was undervalued at Stamford Bridge but his form has been central to Liverpool’s ascent to second place in the Premier League, with Brendan Rodgers’ side now touted as outsiders to win the title.

Hansen also reserved special praise for youngster Raheem Sterling, who scored moments after being introduced as a second half substitute in the 3-0 victory over Southampton, as well as Uruguayan goal machine Luis Suarez.

“Daniel Sturridge at £12 million is the bargain of all time. Raheem Sterling has also really trained on and, while he’s not the finished article by any means, he has got so much pace.

“Luis Suarez is such an incredible talent that it’s got to the stage now where if he doesn’t do anything sensational you think he’s ordinary,” Hansen insisted.

Considering the huge amounts of money that changes hands for average players, the £12 milion price tag that it took to prise Sturridge away from west London seemed like nothing out of the ordinary for an unproven fringe player, but he has thrived at Liverpool and would be likely to command a fee almost triple that amount, if he was on the market.

However, with Liverpool now in the race to win their first league title since 1990, which is a team Hansen was part of, despite an array of talent within their squad the Scot is adamant that there is still one man that holds the team together and will be vital during the run-in above all others.

“The man holding it all together is undoubtedly Steven Gerrard, who has reinvented himself as a holding midfielder. When he was playing off the front man, and in the final third, everything came through him.

“Now he can provide the passes from midfield and it’s all credit to Rodgers for building the team around him in that position.

“Their next game is against United at Old Trafford and that represents another massive opportunity to show the country they mean business,” he declared.