Why Daniel Sturridge Is the Most Frustrating Player in the Liverpool Squad

It's the obvious choice, but the most frustrating player in the Liverpool squad is, of course, the injury-prone Daniel Sturridge.

Brendan Rodgers' frustrations with Sturridge's failure to get and remain fully fit have led him to turn to Christian Benteke this summer, with the Aston Villa forward expected to complete a £32.5 million move to Anfield, per BBC Sport.

According to David Anderson of the Mirror, when Sturridge finally returns, his "nose is likely to be knocked out of joint with Brendan Rodgers set to make Benteke his main striker." 

Had Sturridge not endured the injuries he has—15 since he joined the Reds in January 2013, according to PhysioRoom—then Liverpool may not have required Benteke this summer.

Indeed, Liverpool may also have found themselves far better placed than the sixth position they ended the 2014/15 campaign in.

Who knows how a partnership of Sturridge and Mario Balotelli may have progressed had Sturridge not been injured so soon after the Italian joined the club. The pair had looked bright in their first outing together last August at Tottenham Hotspur, and the signs were that a partnership would develop well.

Frustrating

Jon Super/Associated Press

When tasked with determining Liverpool's most frustrating player, there are other options to Sturridge.

Dejan Lovren's first season at Anfield was hugely disappointing, and it was frustrating to see the man who was proclaimed as being the defensive rock the club needed ultimately end up looking more like a very expensive flop.

Fellow Southampton signing Adam Lallana can also be perceived as frustrating at times, often looking threatening but failing to deliver the goods or oftentimes turning back into a defender.

Another candidate could be Mamadou Sakho. The Frenchman continues to divide opinion, and for those who rate him as Liverpool's best defender, it's frustrating that he does have some mistakes that play to the myth that he is clumsy in possession—a myth that is perpetuated by how he looks on the ball rather than how he actually performs on the ball.

But the most frustrating thing by far for Liverpool last season was the failure to keep Sturridge fit. The season was constantly dogged by players—and Rodgers—talking up how much better the Reds will be once the former Chelsea forward returned.

"He lights up this team," said Rodgers back in January after Sturridge returned after five months out. "He provides the light for this team. When you add a top-class player like him to it, you can go to another level."

Unfortunately, Sturridge made just four Premier League starts after that return against West Ham United when he scored from the bench. His final appearance of the season came in the FA Cup quarter-final victory over Blackburn Rovers in early April.

Frustrating was sitting and watching Liverpool succumb so poorly to Aston Villa in the semi-final, knowing what difference Sturridge would have made in such a game.

Adding to the frustration are question marks over whether Sturridge's injury issues can ever be rectified, with the 25-year-old last year telling talkSPORT: "Maybe it's my body type, maybe it's hereditary.

"Maybe it's the Caribbean vibes. Maybe I have speed but maybe it makes you more vulnerable because of the fast-twitch muscles and the speed in which you're moving."

Can Sturridge ever get over his injuries physically and mentally to play regularly again? It's a huge concern and certainly frustrating for all involved.

Latest Return

Sturridge won't return until at least September, per Press Association Sport (h/t This Is Anfield), after undergoing a hip operation in New York back in May. It means we're unlikely to see the Englishman playing until October—and then he'll be lacking match fitness.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

In the meantime, Benteke will arrive at the club and take up the role of the main recognised forward. Rodgers is likely to opt for the Belgian at the top of a 4-3-3 formation, with Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino just behind him. It's a role former Belgium boss Georges Leekens believes the 24-year-old striker will flourish in.

"He can turn and go and will draw in two or three defenders to give more space and freedom to players such as Coutinho and [Firmino]," he told This Is Anfield.

Benteke's physical presence is certainly a different option to Sturridge's pace, so what will Rodgers do when (if) Sturridge is back fit and ready to play?

For one, it will be nice to have plenty of options; Liverpool's forwards look set to be Benteke, Sturridge, Danny Ings and Divock Origi—far better than last season.

It also opens up the option of returning to two up front with a midfield diamond. Sturridge and Benteke working in tandem does appear to have all the attributes you'd want in a front two—one offering strength, power and aerial ability, the other able to make runs in behind and use his pace to force defences deeper.

That would leave Coutinho, Firmino or even Adam Lallana or Lazar Markovic to occupy the No. 10 role at the point of the midfield diamond. An exciting array of options.

Sturridge's injuries are without a doubt the most frustrating aspect of Liverpool's last 12 months, but hopefully the latest operation will put an end to it and finally allow the club to utilise one of their highest-paid players and prime assets.