Daniel Sturridge's status as Liverpool’s No 1 striker is under threat after Brendan Rodgers revealed his intention to sign a top forward who can “play every week”. The England international will be absent once again on Saturday at The Hawthorns, as he continues to be plagued by a hip problem and Rodgers admitted he is “unsure” as to whether Sturridge will play for Liverpool again this season. It has been a nightmare year for Liverpool in terms of goals. They had 88 after 32 matches last season but now, at the same stage, their total is 47 and not one of their players feature in the top 25 leading scorers in the Barclays Premier League. Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is in danger of falling down the pecking order due to his poor injury record . Sturridge (left, pictured with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard) has played just 12 league games this season . England international Sturridge has been hampered by injuries during the course of the campaign . Sturridge has also endured a nightmare campaign. He missed five months due to calf and thigh issues and has struggled for consistency in the games he has managed to play. His length of time out has been extreme but history shows absences are not uncommon in his career. If Liverpool are to get back to where Rodgers wants them to be, they need goals. Divock Origi will arrive this summer, while they are trying to sign Danny Ings from Burnley and have registered a firm interest in PSV Eindhoven’s Memphis Depay. But they are not going to be the peak of Liverpool’s ambitions and Rodgers is searching for a proven attacker who will be able to call on consistently. When asked how many strikers he wanted to sign, Rodgers said: ‘I’m not sure but I need one that is going to be playing at a top level every week. It can make a huge difference. If you look at teams who are successful they have that – a consistent striker. ‘What that gives the rest of team is crucial. You saw it here with Suarez, the impact that kind of striker can have. But it is something that is not easy to find. We have to find a way to attract them here. We will fight hard to do in the summer. We are on course to be 60 goals down on last year.’ Sturridge picked up this latest injury on March 22 against Manchester United. England manager Roy Hodgson described it as “a small tear” after he was ruled out of games against Lithuania and Italy and it was a source of frustration to Liverpool that he missed last Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final. Liverpool boss Rodgers is keen on signing Burnley striker Danny Ings (left) and PSV's Memphis Depay (right) Belgium striker Divock Origi, pictured during his loan spell at Lille, will return to Liverpool in the summer . Rodgers was asked if he felt the stage had been reached where he no longer considers Sturridge to be his first choice striker and he said: ‘Listen, that’s entirely for you to write. He’s not fit and once he can show that consistency and fitness, you can see in his performance level that it’s a high one. ‘But he has missed lot of the season, so we need to assess it. Either way if he’ s not available, we need to have that support. There always is that risk with those type of players, with their speed and body type, but we have to hope with Daniel this year was just an unlucky season. ‘We hope he can come back super-fit and super-strong because he has an immense talent. You can’t argue with that – he can be as good as any striker in the world with his talent.’
Brendan Rodgers has stated his intent on purchasing a forward.
The Liverpool boss wants a top forward who can 'play every week'
Daniel Sturridge has made just 12 Premier League appearances.
Rodgers is keen on signing Danny Ings and Memphis Depay.