Klopp: Sturridge one of the most talented players I've ever seen

Jurgen Klopp says he is delighted with the progress Daniel Sturridge has made as he nears his return to full fitness, hailing the Liverpool striker as one of the best he has ever seen.

Sturridge has struggled immensely with injuries over the last two years and has featured in just five Premier League games this season as a result.

The England international featured against West Ham in Liverpool's midweek FA Cup defeat, but has not played in the league since early December.

And Klopp feels the 26-year-old is in good shape and is eager to have him back to his best as he will boost the team's attack.

"The statistics are not interesting any more. At this moment, he is in training and has featured in one of the last two games. That's 50 per cent, that's not bad," Klopp joked.

"The plan was for him to play 40 minutes against West Ham and in the end it was 70 with extra time.

"He did recovery the next day but he's still in good shape and in a good way. That's a good thing. Football looks so easy when he plays.

"For Daniel, football is what cycling is like for the rest of us. He doesn't forget how to do it and he never will.

“It’s really normal that everybody is asking about Daniel. He is one of the most talented players I have ever seen, for sure. And he was unavailable, so everybody was waiting. If nobody was waiting, then he wouldn’t have quality. That’s how it is.

"Hopefully we can work for a few weeks and he will be available for us. It would be really silly if we always make a shadow on the present by thinking about the past.

"Hopefully at the end of the season England coach Roy Hodgson will have a decision to make because that means Daniel is fit and playing for us.

"We have a lot of games to go and we have to manage the minutes. We need to see if we can increase the physical shape of the players, especially the players who haven't been involved in normal training the last few weeks, and use them as often as possible."