HOW BAGGIES FAILURE MADE DAN THE MAN

West Brom experience helped Sturridge realise just what he had to do to succeed at Liverpool

DANIEL STURRIDGE says his loan spell at West Brom made him realise what he had to do to resurrect his Liverpool career.

Sturridge spent the second half of last season on loan at the Baggies, but made just six appearances as they were relegated from the Premier League.

Despite his lack of game-time and failure to help West Brom beat the drop, he said the loan spell was just what he needed.

“It was good,” said Sturridge. “I don’t regret anything.

“The experience made me grow as a person. That’s what it’s all about.

“Evolving as a man, evolving as a footballer. From the outside looking in, you can also improve.

“When you’re on the inside looking out, you sometimes don’t get to see what you have to do to get to the next level – how you need to change your game.

“When you’re on the outside, you can assess things differently.

“I’ve always been hungry. The hunger will never change.

“I’m taking every day as it comes with a positive mindset. That’s all I’m going to do.”

Sturridge played half-an-hour in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Manchester United in Michigan on Saturday, scoring (bottom right) and impressing boss Jurgen Klopp with his fitness and sharpness.

But Sturridge (left, with his manof-thematch trophy) has been a hostage to injury for much of his career – and admitted he cannot afford to look too far ahead, despite a promising preseason campaign.

The 28-year-old will have a job breaking up Liverpool’s established front three of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, but is optimistic about the season ahead.

“It’s been going great but I’m not getting too carried away,” said Sturridge. “I’m feeling great but it’s not just about me, it’s about the team – what we do as a bunch.

“Everyone is pushing themselves to the limit because we’ve got a big season ahead.

“We feel we can do something special, so we’re all pushing ourselves as far as we can go.

“I’ve worked hard over the summer, but there’s a lot more work still to come.

“I’m just keeping a positive mindset on everything and I just want to help the team win something.

“That’s what it’s about. We want to win something.

“We’ve been close before a lot of times. I wasn’t here for last season’s Champions League, but it was so close. We want to win something.”