Daniel Sturridge: Liverpool striker finds lack of starts 'hard to take' and refuses to rule out leaving Anfield

The England international striker was an unused substitute during Thursday's Europa League semi-final defeat to Villarreal

Sturridge is keen to play as much as possible under Klopp (Getty)

Daniel Sturridge is not content with sitting on the bench for Liverpool and has suggested that his future could lie away from Anfield.

The 26-year-old striker, who has missed much of the season through injury, was omitted from Jürgen Klopp’s starting line-up for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg defeat to Villarreal.

Sturridge was expected to lead the line at El Madrigal after starting and scoring against Newcastle United last weekend but was instead an unused substitute, with Roberto Firmino preferred in attack.

The England international, who still hopes to be selected in Roy Hodgson’s England squad for this summer’s European Championships, has admitted that he would like to start more matches.

"Maybe people don't see this, but I am someone who wants to play every minute of every match, so maybe when I'm not starting or when I'm taken off, it's hard to take," Sturridge told The Mirror.

"You want to be on the pitch every single match, every single minute.

"It's exciting, of course, what the manager is bringing and where we are heading. I am doing everything in my power to be out there on the pitch, and I am feeling good as well."

When asked about his long-term future and his ambitions for Liverpool, Sturridge answered philsophically and suggested it would dishonest to promise that he will never leave the club.

“There are things I want to achieve with Liverpool. I would never say I am Liverpool until I die, because I would be lying,” he said.

“I think any player who says ‘oh yeah, this is the only team I will play for, for the rest of my life’, they are deluded. In football every team looks for replacements every single year.

“So for myself all I can do every weekend is go out there, perform as well as I can, perform to the best of my abilities, and then come the end of the season hopefully have the European Championships to look forward to… and to next year.”

Sturridge started four league games in April, more than in any other month this season, but was left out of the starting line-up for key clashes against Borussia Dortmund and Everton.