Sturridge but no Enrique in Liverpool’s Europa squad

Posted Friday, September 04, 2015 by teamtalk.com

Liverpool have named injured striker Daniel Sturridge in their initial 21-man squad for the Europa League, but Jose Enrique has been left out.

Sturridge has returned to training after spending the majority of the summer in the United States following hip surgery.

The England international was originally predicted to return to action in October following his operation, but manager Brendan Rodgers has said he is hopeful the 25-year-old will be able to play later this month.

Sturridge made only 18 appearances last season after being plagued by thigh, calf and hip problems.

Enrique was predicted to leave Liverpool ahead of the transfer deadline – West Brom were reportedly interested – but he failed to move on.

Enrique’s last appearance for the Reds came in the FA Cup at Bolton in January, but he vowed to fight for his place earlier this week.

He tweeted: “Just to let you all know that it wasn’t any offer from West Brom for me. I’m happy to stay and fight for my place.”

However, he will be unable to feature in the Europa League when Liverpool start their Group B campaign with an away match against Bordeaux on September 17.

Home-grown players born on or after January 1 1994 are eligible to play via ‘List B’, meaning the likes of Jordon Ibe and Jordan Rossiter do not need to be named in the main squad.