Rene Meulensteen: 'Jurgen Klopp can cope without Daniel Sturridge at Liverpool'

By Kristian Johnson, Reporter | 09 December 2015

Rene Meulensteen believes that Jurgen Klopp "will not mess around" with Daniel Sturridge and backs the Liverpool manager to achieve success "with or without" the striker.

Rene Meulensteen has said that Jurgen Klopp can be successful at Liverpool "with or without Daniel Sturridge".

The 26-year-old forward has been ruled out for the rest of 2015 with a hamstring injury picked up in the 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday.

The injury is the latest in a long line of setbacks that have dogged Sturridge's Liverpool career to date, and Meulensteen told talkSPORT that Klopp will be brave enough to "move on without him".

He said: "One thing to be sure is that Jurgen Klopp will not mess around in that respect because he has a clear vision where he wants to take Liverpool, with or without Sturridge.

"That's how [Klopp] will look at it. If [Sturridge] is seen as important, Liverpool will do everything they can to get him back to his best and back performing in every game.

"But if he's not I am 100% sure that Klopp will make a decision to move on without him."

Sturridge has missed almost 70 games through injury since joining Liverpool in 2013.