DANIEL STURRIDGE says he will always be indebted to Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers for giving him the opportunity to play for ‘the biggest club’ in the Premier League.
The £12million signing from Chelsea enjoyed a dream start to his Reds career as he took just seven minutes to score on his debut against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup.
After frustrating spells at Manchester City and Chelsea, Sturridge is relishing the prospect of playing an integral part for Rodgers’ side.
However, the 23-year-old believes no matter how many goals he scores over the coming years he will always owe a debt of gratitude to the manager.
“It is the biggest club I have ever played for. In the Premier League, there is no bigger club than Liverpool,” he said.
“I thank the boss for giving me an opportunity to play for a club like this and I thank God for making it possible.
“It’s amazing for the manager to put such faith in me. The only way I can repay him is by doing a job on the football field.
“For him to pay money for me and to have faith in me and show everybody around the world that he is prepared to take a chance on me, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay him for that.
“As a young player, when you play for big clubs you can sometimes get caught up in it and you never get another opportunity to play for another big club.
“So I’m grateful the manager has given me this chance and that he believes in me. I’m just glad to be here.”
Sturridge, who hadn’t played for nearly two months, got 56 minutes under his belt against Mansfield before making way for Luis Suarez.
However, the Reds new boy is hoping to line up alongside the prolific Uruguayan for the first time when Liverpool face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
“It’s going to be a pleasure for me to play with Luis,” added Sturridge.
“He shows what a good player he is every time he gets the ball with the way he really gets at defenders.
“I’m looking forward to us forming a formidable partnership against the teams we’ve got coming up soon.
“I’d love to start against United but it’s down to the manager which team he picks. I’m just here to train hard and whichever team he picks will be the one that is right tactically.
“If he chooses me then great, if not I’ll be looking to come on and make an impact.”
