England v Germany: I will use Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge when I see fit, insists Roy Hodgson

England manager dismisses claims of injury as he weighs up striking options

Sturridge, right, at training. Roy Hodgson is confident Sturridge is ready to play against Germany (PA)

Roy Hodgson said on Monday that he was confident Daniel Sturridge was ready to play against Germany on Tuesday night and that he would use the Liverpool striker as he saw fit – especially as he had been playing with his current hip problem for his club.

Hodgson has made nine changes to the team that lost 2-0 to Chile on Friday, with only Wayne Rooney and Adam Lallana from that side starting tonight. He has also brought back captain Steven Gerrard, who has had injections in his hip to support ligaments in that part of his body, a procedure the player undergoes every two years.

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On Sturridge, Hodgson said: “It [the injury] has not been a great problem for Liverpool. The injury occurred two and a half weeks ago and he played the full game last week. He didn’t play on Friday for us because he was complaining about the injury but I’m entitled to think and believe that the injury is no worse than it was when he last played for Liverpool against Fulham.

“The doctors tell me he’s fit enough to play and I will expect him to play the amount I think I need to see him. It won’t be 90 minutes – not because I don’t think he’s capable of playing 90 minutes – but because I’ve got Rickie Lambert, who was injured and couldn’t play on Friday, who I want to see on the field. Then I will have seen Defoe, Lambert and Sturridge [over the two games].”

Sturridge did not take part in the full training session on Monday. Gerrard, who will tonight equal the 108-cap record of Bobby Moore (one of three people Hodgson said would qualify as his greatest ever Englishman when asked by a German magazine), said that he had benefited from his programme of injections and had been able to play more games as a result.

He said: “I’m all right. I’ve been carrying a niggle for the past two or three games around the hip area so I’ve had some treatment in my back area as I have done for many years to stay on top of it. It’s certainly a lot better than it was a week or 10 days ago. I have them [the injections] every couple of years. My game-return when I had them two years ago, I surprised myself really.

“My game has been really good so I’m hoping I can get the same game-return from this set that I’ve had. I proved in the last tournament I was fit and available for all the games in a short space of time so I’m assuming it will be the same in Brazil. I wouldn’t have them if I didn’t feel any benefit from them. The reason I went in for these recently is because I’ve felt so good physically over the last couple of years.”