Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has taken another step towards regaining full fitness by training with the rest of his teammates. The 26-year-old has yet to be available to Jurgen Klopp after sustaining a knee injury on the eve of the new manager’s first match at Tottenham on Oct. 17. Sturridge has played just 242 minutes across three matches this season after recovering from hip surgery which ruled him out of the final six weeks of the previous campaign.
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Press Association Sport understands the England international trained with Liverpool’s full group — those not involved in internationals — at Melwood on Tuesday afternoon. It was the first time Sturridge had been part of the group since a collision with Jordon Ibe in training sidelined him in mid-October. He was monitored by medical staff during and after the session to assess how he reacted, and they will continue to keep a close eye on him for the rest of the week.
Klopp has resisted the temptation to try to rush back the striker despite injuries to Danny Ings (knee ligaments) and Christian Benteke which left him with the raw Divock Origi as his only fit striker at one stage. Therefore the German is unlikely to take any chances with Sturridge ahead of Saturday’s trip to Premier League leaders Manchester City, although another step forward in the player’s scheduled recovery can only be positive.
Injury problems continue to beset Klopp, with captain Jordan Henderson still working his way back to fitness after an operation on a broken bone in his foot which has prevented him working with the new manager also, but he was boosted by the return to training yesterday of midfielder James Milner and winger Ibe after hamstring and knee injuries ruled them out of international duty.
