Daniel Sturridge Reveals Steven Gerrard's Nickname, Plans Luis Suarez Sabotage

Daniel Sturridge's excellent season may come down to the fact he plays alongside "James Bond"—his nickname for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard—who "can do everything" with a football at his feet.

As reported by Mike Walters of the Mirror, Sturridge is in awe of the Reds legend, who doesn't take too kindly to his 007 nickname:

"That's what I call Steve Gerrard," said Sturridge. "He doesn't like it, but I call him that because he can do everything. On a day-to-day basis in training, you have to see it to believe what he can do with a football."

Sang Tan/Associated Press

Sturridge and Gerrard have worked excellently together this season, but it's the striker's partnership with Luis Suarez that has grabbed the most headlines. The pair have 42 Premier League goals between them, per WhoScored.com, but must prepare to face each other as England take on Uruguay at the 2014 World Cup.

Uruguay, ranked six places above the Three Lions and playing on their own continent, are likely to be outlined as narrow favourites—but not if Sturridge can help it. The 24-year-old revealed his plan to stop Suarez in Brazil after realising the pair would cross swords, per Walters' report:

"Next day I saw Luis, and we had a joke about it, but it will be great to play against him because he’s a world-class player and a great friend of mine," said Sturridge. "When the season finishes, I’m going to steal all his boots and his shinpads!"

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Ewan Roberts of Goal.com underlines the power of Brendan Rodgers' front two, the most effective partnership in England:

"It used to be [Wayne] Rooney and [Robin] van Persie who finished each other's sentences and drew envious glances, now they are heading towards divorce while the Anfield outfit's devilishly clinical SAS steamroller opponents," reads the article.

Despite being a proven Premier League goalscorer, Sturridge is still something of an unknown quantity on the international stage. Arguably his most famous moment at Wembley came in a Great Britain shirt during the 2012 London Olympics, where he missed a vital penalty to ensure Team GB's elimination against South Korea.

Roy Hodgson has earmarked Sturridge for success alongside Rooney. This is beginning to take shape, but the pair need plenty of minutes on the pitch together if they are to form a profitable partnership.

Sturridge's recent headed winner against Denmark underlined his ability to pop up with a smart finish and his eagerness to ensure his club impact progresses into the England setup.

If Sturridge can mimic his output for Liverpool in Hodgson's team, he is likely to leave the World Cup with multiple goals, per Squawka:

Hodgson's men travel to the World Cup with realistic expectations for perhaps the first time in years and will look to advance to the quarter-finals if the tournament is to be deemed a success. 

With James Bond taking aim behind him, Sturridge may provide the bullet England need to silence their critics and enjoy a memorable summer.