1. Stewart Downing
Similarly to Joe Cole, Downing is another wide player who will fall even further down the pecking order now that Sturridge is a Liverpool player. In fairness to Downing, he has been playing quite well and has also proved to be rather versatile, but his long term future is now virtually non-existent. No doubt Sturridge will be preferred to Downing, and the former Middlesborough man will probably find himself a bit-part player should he choose to stay at the club. Sturridge, as a winger, offers a bit more than Downing - the biggest factor being the addition of goals, something that Downing has infamously been unable to manage. Downing will prove to be
a valuable player to retain at the moment, but Rodgers has made it clear that Downing can leave if he wants to. A move away from Anfield might not be on the cards in the January window, but I wouldn't be even remotely surprised if he wasn't a Liverpool player come September 1st.
What do you think? Will the signing of Sturridge determine the future of these players? Or do they have a Liverpool future? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.