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| Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has defended the injured Daniel Sturridge |
JURGEN KLOPP has begun the task of trying to coax the best out of Daniel Sturridge by defending his latest absence through injury and insisting he trusts the striker implicitly.
Sturridge was absent for Klopp's first game as Liverpool manager at Tottenham at the weekend after suffering a knee injury in training following a collision with team-mate Jordon Ibe.
The setback is not serious, but served to fuel more frustration over Sturridge's fitness and added to Klopp's problems after the anterior cruciate ligament knee injuries endured by Danny Ings and Joe Gomez last week.
Sturridge has made 94 league starts at the age of 26 - Raheem Sterling has 85 at the age of 20 - but rather than be swayed by past history, Klopp is standing by his promise to judge players himself for the time being at least.
The German said he decided not to take a risk with Sturridge, who had travelled to London with Liverpool's squad, and said: "I've known Daniel now for one week and for six days he was perfect in training. Everything we did he was full of power, skills. He was outstanding.
"So many good things and then he got this contact with Ibe. In another situation I would have talked to him and said, 'Please try'. But we can't [take risks] in a week of two ACLs.
"We need Daniel for sure and if we played the Tottenham game on Thursday then maybe he would play. No problem. I trust 100 per cent this player."
Just as Klopp talked up Divock Origi following the stalemate at Spurs, he has given an insight into his man-management by now throwing his support behind Sturridge.
Liverpool potentially have 16 matches between now and the end of December and he will need all of his forwards, including Christian Benteke who is also sidelined, to negotiate that schedule.
Sturridge played 14 out of 18 league games after joining from Chelsea in the 2012-13 season at a rate of 67.4 per cent, and 29 out of 38 the following season at a rate of 66.52 per cent.
But last season the England striker's campaign was wrecked by thigh and calf injuries and ended prematurely when he underwent hip surgery and spent the best part of four months rehabilitating in the USA. He featured in 12 out of 38 matches, a rate of 21.93 per cent, and playing only 750 minutes out of 3,420.
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| Klopp has supported Sturridge after suffering a knee injury in training prior to the draw with Spurs |
The intense regime Klopp implemented at Borussia Dortmund and will now introduce at Liverpool has raised questions as to how Sturridge will cope with the workload.
Liverpool became embroiled in a spat with the FA last season after Sturridge was injured while on England duty, accusing the senior set-up of ignoring the fact he limits his training after games due to a strict second day recovery programme.
Yet the injury that ruled him out of the trip to White Hart Lane was not a muscle problem, but a blow to the knee that left the joint swollen.
"If Daniel is back [against Kazan] then he can play no problem," said Klopp. "If the medics and physiotherapists tell me it is not possible, then it is not possible. I don't have to discuss it, just think about another solution."
Ings will today undergo surgery to repair a partial tear to the ACL in his left knee and is hopeful of being back before the end of the season. Gomez is due to have his operation later this week having ruptured the same ligament while on international duty with England Under-21s last week.
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