Rene Meulensteen: 'Jurgen Klopp can cope without Daniel Sturridge at Liverpool'

Rene Meulensteen has said that Jurgen Klopp can be successful at Liverpool "with or without Daniel Sturridge".

The 26-year-old forward has been ruled out for the rest of 2015 with a hamstring injury picked up in the 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday.

The injury is the latest in a long line of setbacks that have dogged Sturridge's Liverpool career to date, and Meulensteen told talkSPORT that Klopp will be brave enough to "move on without him".

He said: "One thing to be sure is that Jurgen Klopp will not mess around in that respect because he has a clear vision where he wants to take Liverpool, with or without Sturridge.

"That's how [Klopp] will look at it. If [Sturridge] is seen as important, Liverpool will do everything they can to get him back to his best and back performing in every game.

"But if he's not I am 100% sure that Klopp will make a decision to move on without him."

Sturridge has missed almost 70 games through injury since joining Liverpool in 2013.