Brendan Rodgers concerned by Daniel Sturridge fitness

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has explained his decision to leave Daniel Sturridge on the bench for Saturday's Merseyside derby against Everton.

The 24-year-old came on to rescue a point for the Reds at Goodison Park after they had fallen behind to a brace from Romelu Lukaku.

However, the Northern Irish boss revealed that Sturridge did not look right in training following his midweek exertions with England, therefore influencing his choice to drop the £12m man.

"I need everyone as close to 100% as I possibly can - he is clearly not," The Mirror quotes Rodgers as saying. "I am looking at him in training on Friday and he is not right.

"Whose responsibility is that? It is the Association, the player. All I can do is look and assess who will give me absolutely everything when they go out on the field.

"There is a trend. There are maybe some games when he hasn't played well and that has happened on the back of not training. Do I put him in again? I know the games in which he has been very good. The games he has disappointed in have come when he hasn't trained."

Sturridge played 90 minutes in Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Germany despite suffering from a foot injury.