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May 2006. On a warm evening at the home of Manchester City, Liverpool's Under-18 side celebrated winning the FA Youth Cup. Perhaps, as they passed the trophy around and posed happily for photographs, these young players allowed themselves a dream or two of a Premier League future; of one day following Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher down the path from the club's academy to Anfield stardom.?
That path, though, is fraught with obstacles. To make it requires not only ability, but also commitment, the right coaching and maybe a touch of good fortune. Seven years on, only one of the players on duty in that Youth Cup final is part of Liverpool's first-team picture - and he was playing for Manchester City that night.?liverpool jersey
Indeed, Daniel Sturridge almost denied Liverpool the trophy, scoring twice for a City side who narrowly failed to close a 3-0 first-leg deficit. The best player on the pitch in that second leg, Sturridge was tipped for big things. His journey since then from promising youth-team player to England centre forward has not always been smooth. But after a few false starts, setbacks and wrong turns, he may finally be ready to announce himself as a first-choice Premier League striker over the next 12 months.?
Not that it has ever been straightforward with Sturridge. Since arriving at Anfield from Chelsea for ￡12 million in January, the 23-year-old has seen his fortunes rise, fall, then rise again. He began with a flurry of goals, then lost his place, but came to the fore again towards the end of the season after Luis Suarez sank his teeth into Branislav Ivanovic. Sturridge, having scored as a substitute against Chelsea in April, stepped in for Suarez to hit two at Newcastle and three at Fulham; deadly finishing from a striker with a terrific goals-to-games ratio.?cheap jerseys
