Focus on Liverpool and not World Cup, Klopp tells Sturridge

JURGEN KLOPP has urged Daniel Sturridge to put his frustrations aside and focus on helping Liverpool hit their pre-Christmas targets. The striker was the subject of a report yesterday claiming he was looking to leave Anfield in January to save his World Cup place, having been left out of the England squad for the recent games with Germany and Brazil. Sturridge has largely been on the periphery this season and Klopp is expected to use his preferred attacking trident of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino against Sevilla tonight as he looks to secure a place in the Champions League knockout phase. Klopp is aware of the disappointment Sturridge is feeling but, with 12 games to play between now and January 1, will not tolerate anyone in his squad looking ahead to next summer. ‘It’s a story, but actually I’m not really interested in stories,’ said Klopp, whose side lead Group E ahead of tonight’s clash at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. ‘The situation with the player is okay. I can imagine a player with his quality is not happy that he is not starting all the time. ‘But, at this moment, we need all our players. There is around one-and-a-half months before the window opens and I don’t think about things like this. There are so many games before then and I need all of them.’ There has been a greater maturity and solidity to Liverpool’s play over the past month, with Klopp adding: ‘We always love to press and attack but, if we can’t do that in the moment, then I have told the players to offer protection and defend.’