Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge praises Brendan Rodgers as 'the best manager' he has ever worked with

Sturridge has scored 20 goals in the Premier League this season and feels it is largely down to Rodgers getting the best out of him

Daniel Sturridge (Getty Images)

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge feels that Brendan Rodgers is the best manager he has ever worked with following his impressive season that has helped the Reds challenge for the Premier League title.

Sturridge has already netted 20 goals in the league this season, second only to team-mate Luis Suarez, and the 24-year-old feels that the Northern Irishman is finding the right way to get the best out of him.

“Tactically, he’s the best [manager] I have worked with. From a man-management point of view, he’s always pushing to get the best out of me,” Sturridge told liverpoolfc.com.

“He is always trying to get the most out of me and reach my limits. He’s done a lot for me and hopefully I can pay him back with some good performances.”

Sturridge joined Liverpool in January last year after a frustrating period at Chelsea reaped little reward. The England international, who joined the Blues in 2009 as a free agent, scored 24 goals in 96 appearances for Chelsea – which also included a loan spell with Bolton Wanderers – and he headed north in search of regular first team football.

He has already bettered that tally in his time at Anfield, scoring 34 goals in just 45 games, and the forward has risen to prominence this season alongside Suarez as the Reds challenge for a first league title since 1990.

The praise of Rodgers should not be taken lightly, given that Sturridge has worked with managers such as Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo – a Champions League winner in his own right – as well as Mark Hughes and Sven-Goren Eriksson.