He may have gone on to become a cult figure at Liverpool and be named in the PFA Team of the Year for 2013-14, but Daniel Sturridge's playing career hasn't always been summer and flowers. He once spent a difficult time playing with Manchester City, where he failed to really leave a mark in the 21 appearances he was granted. Born in Birmingham, Sturridge had the option of playing for Aston Villa as a youth, after joining the Midlands club's academy at the age of seven. However, he moved on four years later and ended up at City's academy, graduating into the first team squad in 2006. His time there was brief. He scored only five goals in 21 appearances and scarcely played during his formative days, and left the club in 2009 where he had an equally-disappointing stay at Chelsea. Had Sturridge stayed with Villa, he may well have had more frequent playing time as a youngster. Instead, he struggled to break into the first teams of top Premier League sides and as a result it wasn't until 2012 that his career finally got off the runway.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
