Jordan Henderson Grateful for Sturridge’s “bit of magic”

It’s become a bit of a thing for Daniel Sturridge. During his time at Liverpool, he’s been gone for long stretches due to injuries, but part of what makes the striker so special is that when he comes back, he takes very little time to readjust to playing again.

Such was the case on Monday, when Sturridge came into a scrappy, ugly game late in the second half and then promptly manufactured a goal. He managed to create enough space to get a shot off, which hit the goal post and landed squarely in the path of Sadio Mané, who knocked it in for the winner.

After the game, the Liverpool skipper, Jordan Henderson, acknowledged the importance of Sturridge’s presence in the team, and what it means to have his sort of quality for the manager to call on in a pinch.

Regarding the frenetic second half that saw Liverpool desperate to get a goal, while Everton seemed to be just trying to hang on for the draw, Henderson said, “Thankfully Studge [Sturridge] came on, did a bit of magic, and Sadio was brilliant to react to it and get the rebound.

“It gave us a huge lift again because they [Sturridge and Emre Can] are two big players coming back from injuries so to see them come on was brilliant, and I thought they were brilliant when they came on.

“Daniel gave us that little bit of magic to get us the winner and you need that, you need the squad depth.”

Sturridge has had a frustrating season so far, seeing himself lose his place in Klopp’s preferred starting XI. However, with Mané off to AFCoN in a few weeks, Sturridge will be called on plenty to help the team through their busy winter schedule.