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Early reports suggested Daniel Sturridge could miss up to three weeks with a thigh injury suffered during training while on England duty, and after the striker returned to Liverpool and underwent tests, the club's medical staff have today confirmed it. Sturridge will miss between two and three weeks with a thigh strain.
The earliest he could return would likely be against Everton on September 27th. He will at a minimum miss the next two league matches, against Aston Villa and West Ham, as well as missing the League Cup tie against Middlesbrough on the 23rd and Liverpool's return to the Champions League next Tuesday against Ludogorets.
In the worst case scenario, he would likely miss Liverpool's second Champions League match, against Basel on the 1st of October, but might be ready to return on the following Saturday when West Brom visit Anfield. After the West Brom match comes the October international break, which Sturridge will expect to be fit enough to take part in.
It's another unfortunate injury for a player who has at times struggled to stay fit since joining Liverpool a season and a half ago. The one bright spot is that while Sturridge often seems to find himself on the trainers' table, he has so far shown an ability to recover quickly—and often ahead of schedule—when he suffers a setback.
When Liverpool signed Mario Balotelli late in the summer, it always seemed likely that the striker would be called upon to fill in for Sturridge for an extended stretch or two, and today's news only serves as confirmation of that. It could also mean a chance to impress off the bench arrives for Fabio Borini in the coming weeks.
