Brendan Rodgers: Daniel Sturridge is committed to England too

LION FOR LIFE: Sturridge is committed to England according to Brenden Rodgers

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has stated that England is a top priority for striker Daniel Sturridge and his loyalty to his country should not be held in doubt. The player is set to return from injury for Liverpool’s clash against Swansea, according to The Guardian.

The 24-year-old was dropped from the World Cup qualifying games against Moldova and Ukraine after he picked up a thigh injury in the 1-0 victory over rivals Manchester United on 1st September. Sturridge was named Premier League player for the month for August after finding the back on the net five times for Liverpool.

The England international faced allegations of turning his back on his country this week after he confessed in a club interview that his main goal was to deliver for Liverpool. Sturridge later stated on social networking site Twitter: “If I do well for my club, I will play for England. If I’m not fit, I can’t play. Don’t get it twisted. England is the pinnacle.”

Meanwhile, Rodgers has jumped to the player’s defence and stated that his World Cup absence does not mean lack of commitment for the national side. “He was obviously disappointed to miss out on the England games. He wanted to play for England, and I felt sorry for him,” said Rodgers, who was named manager of the month for August.

“He came here first and foremost to do as well as he could for Liverpool knowing that, if he did, he could be a main striker for England. Unfortunately, he left the Manchester United game injured and the medical staff at England deemed him not quite fit enough for the first game, and they were perfectly happy he was not going to play. The medical experts made the decision, not Daniel Sturridge. He returned here and there was a slight improvement but Roy [Hodgson] and his staff have to make a decision if he’s going to be available for the second game and at that stage he wasn’t.”

Rodgers explained that Sturridge was named in the squad to face Swansea on Tuesday due to the dates being reshuffled. He stated, “By the time we play on Monday it will be nearly two weeks and for a grade one strain, experts who know better than I do say it is perfectly reasonable to be back playing in that timescale.

“But he should not be held up, if he does play on Monday, as someone who has turned down his country because that is not the case at all. If it was a Saturday game he may well have struggled but that extra bit of time gives him a chance, and I would suspect he will hopefully be fit, although he won’t be 100% fit.”

The Reds are left without the support of Glen Johnson for an estimated five weeks after the defender picked up an injury against Manchester United. “It is a disappointment because I think he’s made a good start and he was excellent against Manchester United,” Rodgers added. “Fortunately for us, with the way it works out with the international breaks, he’ll probably miss only about four Premier League games.”

Liverpool remain unbeaten as they prepare to face Swansea on the 17th.