Reds attacker recently missed both Three Lions qualifiers through injury.
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In-form Liverpool front man Daniel Sturridge has come under fire following an interview the Englishman gave suggesting that playing for his club was more important than representing his country, reports the Daily Mail.
The England international was forced to sit out the Three Lions’ recent Fifa World Cup qualifying double header against Moldova at Wembley stadium on Friday night, followed by England’s tricky-looking trip to take on rivals Ukraine in Kiev on Tuesday evening.
The 24-year-old picked up a slight thigh strain in the Reds’ Capital One Cup second-round clash with Notts County last month, with Sturridge then aggravating the problem further playing against champions Manchester United at Anfield on Sept 1.
And after initially being hopeful of recovering in time to be fit to feature for England head coach Roy Hodgson, the striker was eventually ruled out of both qualifiers and sent back to his club to continue his rehabilitation at Melwood.
However, in an interview with the Merseyside giants’ official website, Sturridge appeared to say that the Reds were of more importance than England, a suggestion that then caused outrage on Twitter among fans of the Three Lions.
“I’m more worried about Liverpool and more worried about putting in good performances for us, us winning games and challenging for trophies,” said Sturridge.
“That is my main ambition — it’s not about playing for England. That comes with doing the things you do for your club and, if I don’t play well here, I won’t get the opportunity to do it there (at the World Cup finals).”
And Sturridge was then forced to defend his comments on Twitter, responding by saying: “Some people never understand. Read the interview. If I do well for my club, I will play for England. If I’m not fit, I can’t play. Don’t get it twisted.
“England is the pinnacle. To play for them is a dream come true. Just hoping to recover for Monday.”