Former goalkeeper David James believes that the loss of Daniel Sturridge through injury was a bigger blow to Liverpool than the departure of Luis Suarez.

Liverpool endured a torrid campaign last term and their dramatic fall from grace was directly attributed to the sale of star striker Suarez to Barcelona.

However, the absence of Sturridge throughout the majority of the campaign did not help matters further which has prompted James' comments.

"The key player for Liverpool was Daniel Sturridge. He scored more vital goals than Luis Suarez," the 44-year old told talkSPORT's 'The Sports Bar'.

"Most of Suarez's goals were scored in 2-0 or 3-0 wins when only the first goal mattered. Sturridge scoring in a 1-0 win was more important than Suarez scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory.

"Having Sturridge injured for so long in the season was more detrimental than losing Suarez."