Will Sturridge prove the right signing for Liverpool?

Daniel Sturridge is Liverpool's first January signing

Christian Crowther debates whether Daniel Sturridge was the right solution to Liverpool's search for attacking reinforcement...

Wednesday was certainly one of the more uplifting days of Liverpool's season as the Reds swept aside Sunderland just hours after announcing the signing of Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge.

Liverpool's new boy can only have been impressed with what he saw from the stands too, especially from Luis Suarez, the man he will have to dislodge if he's going to fulfil his wish of playing in his preferred central position.

And therein lays a potential problem. The pivotal reason why Sturridge instigated the switch from Stamford Bridge was due to Chelsea's reluctance to play him as a main striker.

Now he arrives at Anfield, where he will find a team which operates a similar system to the one he couldn't penetrate at Chelsea, only the man he will be fighting for a place is fast becoming one of the world's top players in his position.

Suarez's second successive brace took his season's tally to 15 Premier League goals - the same amount as he managed in the whole of his first year-and-a-half on Merseyside - and after Lionel Messi comparisons from an understandably effusive Brendan Rodgers, it's difficult to see anyone replacing the Uruguayan if fit.

According to Rodgers, Suarez is the sort of player who wants to play every minute of every game as well, so that leaves the manager with only a few options.

Either Sturridge has to settle for one of the wide roles in the front three, he plays Suarez out wide, or he changes the system and plays 4-4-2, which would make the already fierce competition for midfield places even more intense.

With Suarez scoring so freely from his central role though - rated at 3.8514/5 to be the league's top scorer - it is difficult to envisage Rodgers switching his star man to the flanks.

Furthermore, it's even harder to envisage Rodgers changing his formation just to accommodate the new signing.

It's far more plausible that Sturridge will initially have to settle for one of the wide positions, with possibly Raheem Sterling on the other side, or bide his time until Suarez is rested or even injured.

One thing is for sure though; Sturridge has pace to burn, meaning he can make it work in wide areas.

So although he may not be immediately deployed in his favoured role, his technical ability and youth make him exactly the sort of player the manager wants for his new-look side.

Sturridge will have to be patient but, if his attitude is right, he should still flourish at Liverpool.