Injury lay-off f is sending Dan nuts

LIVERPOOL hotshot Daniel Sturridge admits being out injured is doing his nut in.

The Reds striker has missed seven matches so far with a thigh strain and has had to sit back and watch as Brendan Rodgers’ men have made a patchy start to the season.

Sturridge groaned: “I don’t think people realise how hard it is mentally being injured. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect.

“I can’t wait to be back. The best feeling is to be playing football and I take it for granted when I’m fit.”

There was some good news for Sturridge last week when he put pen to paper on a new five-year contract worth about £115,000 a week.

The 25-year-old has scored 36 goals in 52 games since moving to Anfield from Chelsea in January last year.

Liverpool have badly missed the hitman – especially after losing Luis Suarez to Barcelona this summer.

Sturridge is expected

Reward

to be fit to face QPR on October 19 and he is relishing the prospect of getting back among the goals.

“I can’t wait for these moments again. Winning games and scoring goals is the motto,” he added.

Kop boss Rodgers spent £117m on new talent in the summer in a bid to go one better than last year’s secondplace finish in the Premier League.

Rodgers has made tying down key players his next job, with Jordan Henderson next in line to sign a bumper new contract.

Henderson, 24, has come on leaps and bounds under Rodgers but is still on the same deal as when he joined from Sunderland in 2011.

The midfielder has 20 months left on that contract and Liverpool plan to offer him a new five-year deal that will double his £40,000-aweek wages.

It will be just reward for Henderson, who has gone from flop in his first season to being the club’s vice-captain as well as becoming an England regular.

There is doubt over Glen Johnson’s future at Anfield, though.

The 30-year-old fullback rejected a new one-year contract in May, hoping that a longer offer would come.

But the club have pulled the plug on any more negotiations.

Johnson revealed: “It’s gone very quiet. I am just concentrating week by week and not thinking about it.

“Would I like to stay? Of course, yeah.”

Johnson’s recovery from a thigh injury gives Rodgers another option in defence.

His return is timely, given that Liverpool have kept only one clean sheet so far this season.

Johnson added: “I feel good and it’s about match fitness now.

“The body feels good, so I just need some training sessions and I can take it from there.

“It is difficult when you have bad periods, but you’ll also get good periods. That is football.”