Klopp to assess Sturridge fitness before City trip

The striker resumed training at Melwood this week following a knee injury that had kept him out of the Reds’ last seven outings.

Klopp told his pre-City press conference: “He is as fit as he can be after this long break. He has trained with us.

“Of course he is not at 100 per cent, so now we will have to see.

“I don’t know what I will do tomorrow when I name the squad. I have to think about it.

“His quality is outstanding, we don’t have to talk about it, but like everybody he needs training.

“Today was his third full exercise with the team after four-and-a-half to five weeks' break.

“But as a striker sometimes five minutes are enough, so we’ll have to see. I have to decide this tomorrow – and I’ll start thinking about it after the press conference.”

Sturridge has not figured for Liverpool since starting the Merseyside derby with Everton at Goodison Park on October 4.

Asked whether he felt he would need to ease the 26-year-old back into action gradually, Klopp replied: “The problem with Daniel’s quality is that everybody can see it – it is obvious. He is an unbelievably strong player.

“So when he is in training, you see it and you think ‘nice’. But as I said, we have to think about it [whether he can be involved at Man City].

“We can take him to Manchester but he has to train around the game, on Sunday and Monday. He has to train now, that’s for sure, because after four-and-a-half weeks’ break…I’m not sure if Liverpool even had that long for their summer break.

“In four and a half weeks, he couldn’t train – he was not cycling or running, but now he’s started and because he is a skilled guy, after a few minutes you see it and think maybe we should?

“Everybody wants to see more of him on the pitch and we have to find the right balance. We will see – I haven’t decided.”