DANIEL STURRIDGE

Sturridge first burst onto the scene at Manchester City in 2007-08 but, despite the efforts of manager Mark Hughes, he joined Chelsea upon the expiry of his contract in January 2010.

Having joined City’s Academy in 2003 from Coventry, after previously training with Aston Villa, Sturridge’s performances in the reserves ensured that he made his mark on the first-team after initially struggling with injuries.

Catching the eye of Mark Hughes, he was voted City’s Young Player of the Year in his breakthrough season but his hopes of making a mark were not helped by the fact he was given only sporadic opportunities. Ultimately, Sturridge grew tired of life on the sidelines and, when his contract expired, he moved to Stamford Bridge.

In January 2010, a tribunal decided that Chelsea must pay Manchester City an initial transfer fee of £3.5 million, rising to £6.5 million depending on appearances for club and the senior England team. He excelled during a loan spell with Bolton in 2010-11, but upon returning to Chelsea had to content himself with a wide role that, he felt, did not play to his strengths.

Strengths: Pace and skill on the ball mark him out from his peers and he also has a cool head in front of goal.

Weaknesses: His game is still developing and his decision-making is questionable, while he lacks adaptability.

Career high: His loan spell at Bolton, when he netted eight goals in 12 appearances, was the most impressive spell of his career to date.

Career low: Sturridge missed the decisive penalty in Great Britain’s shootout defeat to South Korea in the quarter-finals of the 2012 Olympics.

Style: Quick, tricky, a versatile forward with an eye for goal.

Quotes: ”He is an extremely quick player, and he has technique at pace. You get plenty of pacy players, but what is important is that he arrives with the ball, he can control it and do something with it. That is what he offers.” Andre Villas-Boas on Sturridge in 2011.

Trivia: Sturridge comes from a footballing family as he is the nephew of former football strikers Simon Sturridge and Dean Sturridge.