Saturday, September 14, 2013

Laudrup Surprised By Sturridge's Speedy Recovery

Swansea City boss Michael Laudrup has spiced up his side's clash with Liverpool by insisting he's "surprised" to hear about Daniel Sturridge's availability.

Sturridge pulled out of the England squad for the recent World Cup qualifying double-header, but reports suggest the 24-year-old could be available to lead the line for the Reds on Monday night.

Laudrup insisted he'd be pleased to play against a strong Liverpool side, but reopened the classic club vs. country debate by telling This Is Wales: "I thought Sturridge would not play because he was not fit enough for England, but now 48 hours later the reports are saying that he is fit to play against us."

"I was a little surprised about that. I hope he plays because I want to play against the best Liverpool team, but I thought there were rules to stop players not playing for their country and then playing for the club."

Despite his comments, the Swansea boss may have hoped Sturridge would be unavailable after the striker’s three goals in three games saw him crowned the Barclays Player of the month for August.

The match at the Liberty Stadium will see plenty of familiar faces do battle with former friends, as Brendan Rodgers and Joe Allen return to South Wales, while Jonjo Shelvey is likely to start against the Reds for the first time since his summer switch.

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