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.
Kristian Johnson
