Jurgen Klopp believes Daniel Sturridge can become an even better player for Liverpool.

The 26-year-old made his first start since early October when scoring a classy brace in the 6-1 demolition of Southampton in the Capital One Cup quarter-final on Wednesday night.

In the wake of his stellar display, Klopp heaped praise on Sturridge but challenged the supremely talented forward to take the next step if he can consistently remain on the pitch.

"Maybe Daniel can be better," Klopp said.

"Write that. Jürgen said maybe he could be much better.

"I said to him after the game: 'Now I know what everybody is talking about.'

"I knew about his quality but not live in a stadium."

Sturridge has battled further injuries this season but whenever he is fit he seems to perform as evidenced by his four goals in five appearances for the Reds in 2015/16.