Our new striker in profile

Daniel Sturridge was born in Birmingham on September 1, 1989 and began his youth career at his hometown club Aston Villa before moving to Coventry and then Manchester City in 2003.

He faced Liverpool for the first time in 2006 in the FA Youth Cup final. The youngest player in the City side, Sturridge fired four goals en route to the final but the young Reds proved too strong as they ran-out 3-2 winners on aggregate.

Sturridge's impressive form at youth level earned him his first professional contract and at the start of the 2006-07 season, the forward began to train with City's first team.

Despite making his debut as a substitute against Reading in February 2007, the youngster was forced to endure a nine-month absence following an operation to repair muscle damage around his hip which ruled him out for the remainder of the year.

Fully-recovered and determined to make his mark, Sturridge netted his first professional goal in January 2008 and three days later he added another to his tally when he struck on his full debut against Derby.

Primarily a striker, Sturridge can also operate down the flanks, where his pace and touch allows him to beat opponents and cut inside to create goalscoring opportunities.

The 2007-08 season ended in glory for him, albeit at youth level, when he was top-scorer as City won the FA Youth Cup.

The following season saw Sturridge break into the City first team, making 16 appearances and netting four goals while creating three assists. His flourishing performances were acknowledged with the club's Young Player of the Season award.

However, accepting the award was to be one of his final acts as a City player, for in July 2009, his contract expired and the 19-year-old opted for a move to Chelsea.

Following an impressive pre-season, he made his debut for Carlo Ancelotti's title winners-to-be against Sunderland in August 2009 and got his first start for the club against Bolton at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup.

At the end of his first season at Chelsea, Sturridge was the club's highest scorer in the FA Cup with four strikes as Chelsea clinched the double with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth at Wembley.

The 2010-11 campaign saw Sturridge make his Champions League bow against Slovakian outfit MSK Zilina and net four goals in 21 games; however, on the last day of the transfer window in January 2011, it was announced that the forward would be on his way to Bolton as part of a loan deal.

Sturridge shone at the Reebok.

He netted on his debut for Owen Coyle's side and was a consistent scorer in the Barclays Premier League, ending his stay there with a total of eight goals in 12 appearances including one against Arsenal.

Back at Chelsea, new manager Andre Villas-Boas used Sturridge in a wide role, urging him to cut inside and shoot from the right flank.

He was named as a substitute in both the FA Cup and Champions League finals by Villas-Boas's replacement Roberto Di Matteo and finished the 2011-12 season with a tally of 13 goals.

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