Sturridge shaping up well; Klopp gives Henderson update

Injury-plagued striker Daniel Sturridge is the fittest Jurgen Klopp has seen him in his 21 months at he Liverpool helm.

The 27-year-old only made seven Premier League starts last season due to  calf and hip problems that blighted his season, but he has looked sharp in pre-season so far.

Sturridge has featured in the first two friendlies and he is expected to get a run-out against Crystal Palace in the Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong Kong on Wednesday, and Klopp is happy with him.

“Good, very good. Daniel has been a part of full pre-season so far,” Klopp told a press conference at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong. It’s been quite intense but he’s been part of pretty much every session.

“It’s the best condition I’ve seen from him since I’m here. I came in October 2015 and Daniel, I think, was probably injured.

“Last pre-season was after a tournament and only a short break. But this year he has had a proper break and is in a good physical shape, absolutely.”

Klopp also confirmed skipper Jordan Henderson will continue his comeback after missing the last four months of last season with a worrying foot problem.

“He needs games and rhythm because that’s what he missed most in the last few months,” Klopp added.

“It was a long, long time that we had to play without him and you saw in our first two games that he can run, he has no pain, he’s getting in a better and better physical shape.

“It’s a very important pre-season for him. It’s not the same shape and rhythm that it was before he got injured, but for all the players, that’s the same. The best thing is to play and train and often as possible.

“He is an outstanding and important player for us. It’s very good for him that we have another two or three weeks before we really get going.

“We’ll give him as many minutes as possible and as many minutes that makes sense for him so we don’t overload him.”