Daniel Sturridge may be relishing being one half of Europe's most lethal strike force – but he's revealed why he plans to hide Luis Suarez's boots and shinpads at the end of the season.

The pair have notched an incredible 45 goals between them so far this campaign for Liverpool in all competitions, and are the Barclays Premier League's leading two scorers.

However, Sturridge and Suarez are set to go head to head this summer when England lock horns with Uruguay at the World Cup finals - and the Three Lions' man has explained he's got a few tricks up his sleeve before that game on June 19.

In a series interviews with the national press today, Sturridge also spoke candidly about playing under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers, the Reds' final 10 games of this season, his desire to improve even further, and what career path he would have potentially taken up had he not become a professional footballer.

Here's the best of what he had to say...

Sturridge on playing with Luis Suarez...

"Luis works tirelessly. I think we combine very well. He's someone who wants to win, and I want to win. We both enjoy scoring goals and both like to assist each other. I think we've both got three assists for each other, so we look for each other and we give each other opportunities and we work as a unit. I enjoy playing with him.

"Luis is very demanding but then so am I. It's important that everyone's demanding if you want to be successful and everyone's pushing each other to get the best out of each other."

Sturridge on the prospect of facing Suarez and Uruguay with England at the World Cup...

"I didn't even know we had drawn Uruguay until I went in for treatment on my ankle at the training ground and Sebastian Coates told me.

"Next day I saw Luis, and we had a joke about it, but it will be great to play against him because he's a world-class player and a great friend of mine. One of us could be going out very unhappy but maybe we'll both go through and Italy will go out.

"I'm going to have a lot of banter with him when the season's finished. I'm going to steal all his boots and his shinpads!"

Sturridge on being one half of Liverpool's strike pairing...

"I think that when I was growing up 4-4-2 was a more prominent formation and it was one that everyone used to play. I grew up studying Arsenal players - Thierry Henry had Dennis Bergkamp playing with him - it was [Dwight] Yorke and [Andy] Cole, [Alan] Shearer and [Chris] Sutton and there were a lot of well-known partnerships out there.

"Nowadays it is not so prominent but for Luis and me, when I first joined the club we just clicked from the first day and ever since then it has been something that has continued."

Sturridge on working for Brendan Rodgers...

"He's put belief in me, he's a world-class manager, he's unbelievable. Tactically unbelievable. Your mentality changes without knowing it, and the more and more you work with him the more and more it just happens naturally."

Sturridge on Liverpool's attacking approach...

"We work so tirelessly on the training field to be a great team unit that it's not about individuals - it's about the team being successful. We like to play attacking football and we like to keep possession of the ball. And it's important we do what the manager tells us because he's the one who sorts the tactics out and he gets it right near enough every time.

"I don't think we really realise what we are achieving as a team. We're just going out, playing with smiles on our faces. That's the most important thing I think."

Sturridge on the Barclays Premier League run in...

"To be honest there are so many games left. We have got Chelsea and Manchester City at home, we have got Tottenham at home. We have got big games regardless of the Manchester United result, of course we want to do as well as we can in every single game and get maximum points if we can but it is important we keep playing the football we do.

"I don't think winning at the weekend is going to change anything in regards to the title race, we are still four points behind and there are still teams ahead of us. Chelsea and Manchester City, if they win their games in hand, are the favourites for me so I would just say that we are looking to play our football."

Sturridge on being a perfectionist...

"If I miss a pass in a match I will ask the coaches to recreate the moment in the next training session so I can avoid making the mistake again. Hard work is the key to all of this, and that is something I've learnt from Luis [Suarez] but also from my family.

"I love my job. But I've always thought that you have to be dedicated. My dad's brought me up to be dedicated. My parents I should say. They made a lot of sacrifices, moving to Manchester with me when I was 13 and showing a lot of belief. So I had to repay them.

"I've had to make sacrifices. At 15, 16 I didn't used to go out. I used to make sure I was at home, watching Spanish league football at weekends, Match of the Day. That was my weekend, that was what was fun to me. But I also didn't want to let my parents down and waste maybe five years of their lives."

Sturridge on relaxing away from the pitch...

"I like producing music. And the theatre. I like going to the theatre. I was decent at school and if I hadn't been a footballer I would have been an actor!"