The careless whispers hurt jinxed Daniel
know it hurts him and I know it is hard for him to take. He is doing things to try and get back. He doesn’t want to be injured. He is more annoyed than anyone that he isn’t playing.
“But now he is back, he has got a smile on his face and he has been world class.
“He makes a huge difference. You can see in the games he has played how much he has been missed. He has been brilliant since he has come back to training and is looking really sharp. Hopefully he can continue to stay fi t and cause problems when he plays.”
Sturridge is the best fi nisher at Liverpool, the sort of forward who does not need many opportunities, while his mere presence occupies defenders and creates space for others.
“He defi nitely gives us that fear factor back,” said Henderson.
“Any central defender playing against him will be wary. They know how quick he is, how sharp he is with the ball.
“Because he has been out for a while, you do forget the quality he has got and how good he actually is. There are lads in training who maybe haven’t seen that much of him and they have been very impressed. Then you look at him in the games, with his movement... his sharpness is top drawer. He is a massive bonus for us.
“He is defi nitely one of the best in England. When he is fi ring, he is one of the best in the world, really. He is that good. Finishing, touches, movement – he has everything.
“He gets one chance and scores one goal and that is the difference.
“His biggest problem is getting a run of games, fi nding consistency and just staying fi t. That is the only issue. If he stays fi t, he becomes world class.”
Liverpool do not possess enough players in that category to hold Sturridge back, though his inclusion alongside players such as Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino will demand a different approach from those behind.
“You just let them go and play and cause havoc,” said Henderson. “I want to join in with them but I have to be careful about leaving space in the middle.
“I have to think more about protecting the defence when we have got players of that quality in front of us.”
SCHALKE defender Joel Matip, 24, will join Liverpool in the summer after signing a pre- contract agreement.