Daniel Sturridge Is 'World Class' and '£50M Player,' Says Stephen Warnock

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has hailed Daniel Sturridge for his performance against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, stating the forward is a potentially "world-class striker" and worth £50 million.

Sturridge bagged the opener in the Reds' 3-2 win in their opening Group C game of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League.

Warnock made the comments to the BBC (h/t Express, via Sam Carroll of the Liverpool Echo):

"Having that desire is the big thing that Sturridge demonstrated, long before he scored the opening goal at Anfield on Tuesday.

"In pre-season, when Reds boss Jurgen Klopp wanted to see him fit and hungry, his attitude was exactly right.

"I watched him a lot and his performances were impressive, too.

"That is why Klopp handed him his first start in a Reds shirt since November 2017 because, when you get Daniel fit and firing, you cannot ignore him.

"We are talking about having a £50 million player at your disposal because he is potentially a world-class striker."

Warnock was on the books at Anfield between 2002 and 2007 and plied his trade for a host of English clubs afterwards. He retired from football earlier this year.

Sturridge was handed his first start of the season on Tuesday and did not disappoint on the biggest stage. The former Chelsea man opened the scoring against the French champions after half an hour and was a nuisance for Les Parisiens' defence throughout the contest.

With any questions of rust quickly erased, many praised Sturridge afterwards, including the Telegraph's Paul Hayward:

Manager Jurgen Klopp was also pleased with his performance:

The 29-year-old has endured a few difficult seasons due to persistent injury trouble and loss of form. He even spent a spell on loan at West Bromwich Albion last year and his time with the Reds appeared to be over, but the striker has continued to work at his craft and earned another shot.

Sturridge was seen as the future in attack for the club after his spectacular 2013-14 Premier League campaign. He was the perfect partner for Luis Suarez and finished the Premier League season with 21 goals, which is easily his best-ever total. He hasn't hit double-digit goals in the league since.

His great showing on Tuesday is excellent news for the Reds and gives Klopp another viable option in attack. The trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane is one of the best attacking tridents in football, but injuries can always happen and there were questions regarding the team's depth.

Sturridge is likely to see more minutes moving forward as he has earned his manager's trust with his solid showing on Tuesday.