Rodgers: England is lucky to have Sturridge

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insists England is fortunate to have a striker of Daniel Sturridge's quality.

"There is absolutely no question he is potentially the top English striker," he said. "He has got all the tools to be that. You look at him and people would think he is maybe a Brazilian striker, with his body physique and pace and power.

The 23-year-old grabbed the only goal in a 1-0 Premier League win for the second consecutive week on Saturday, as the Merseyside club extended their 100 per cent record with a victory over Aston Villa.

Sturridge has now scored 12 goals in 16 top-flight appearances for Liverpool since ending a frustrating spell at Chelsea in order to make a £12 million move to Anfield in January.

And Rodgers believes the Manchester City academy graduate can now prove to be a big asset for national team boss Roy Hodgson.

"England are fortunate to have him because he is a big talent – see his movement, his touch. If he continues and keeps his fitness, he would be a big threat for any team," Rodgers stated.

"He has got the England captain [Steven Gerrard] behind him, advising him and guiding him. He’s a number nine, he can move, he can sprint, he is a really good footballer as well, he is not just a goalscorer. But he knows he needs to be consistent, he needs to get himself the games and the goals."

Rodgers explained that Sturridge's uptick in form is a result of the encouragement givien to him by Liverpool's coaching staff.

"He’s never going to have a better platform and he has the confidence of a manager who has always believed in him. He’s not used to playing," Rodgers said.

"But we just said to him: ‘You need to throw the dice, get out on the training field every day, work your socks off and everything else will take care of itself'."