England manager Roy Hodgson has revealed that he played an only partially fit Daniel Sturridge against Germany as a character test and does not apologise for doing so.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has criticised his striker for playing in the 1-0 friendly defeat at Wembley last month when he was carrying a thigh injury.
Sturridge was then deemed unfit to start in the Merseyside derby, but insisted that he had no regrets about completing 90 minutes for England four days earlier, a sentiment that Hodgson has now echoed.
"I suppose you could argue we did put his resolve to the test. I might have been guilty of that but I don't apologise for it," he told reporters.
"The good thing for me was that he did get out there. Daniel has pulled out of a few matches with us for injury reasons. He has been unlucky. It was important for me, if you like, to test his resolve a little bit.
"I am delighted he did get out there, even though he maybe didn't feel 100%, because that means in the future I will know I can trust him in an England team and he is not going to be playing when he feels like it – he is going to be playing when he's fit."
Sturridge, who has scored 11 goals in 14 appearances for the Reds this term, has since been ruled out for two months after damaging his ankle during a training session with Liverpool last Friday.
Joe Fish
