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Brendan Rodgers has saluted the ruthless finishing qualities of Daniel Sturridge as the Liverpool FC boss warned defenders: “His best is yet to come.”

The Reds striker stands on the brink of making history in tomorrow’s FA Cup fifth round tie at the Emirates.

If the 24-year-old finds the net against Arsenal he will set a new club record by scoring in nine successive appearances in all competitions.

Sturridge’s clinical strike in Wednesday’s dramatic 3-2 win over Fulham moved him level with Anfield greats Dick Forshaw and John Aldridge.

His current scoring spree began when he came off the bench to bag a late equaliser against Everton at Goodison back in November and has continued since he made his comeback from an ankle injury at Stoke seven weeks later.

“Daniel’s form has been terrific,” Rodgers told the ECHO.

“He has a natural instinct for the goal. I’ve seen that in him since he was a young player.

“His eyes light up when he’s within 30 yards of the goal. He has an instinct to get in there and normally he finishes.

“He is outstanding in one v one situations, and he’s up there with Luis Suarez as the best finisher in the league.

“Daniel is always a real threat. He knows what’s most important is the team and it’s his job to get goals for the team.”

Despite missing eight league games due to injury, Sturridge is the second top scorer in the top flight behind strike partner Luis Suarez with 16 goals in 18 games.

In all competitions this term he has bagged 19 in 21 appearances.

With 30 goals in 37 matches since his £12million move from Chelsea 13 months ago, Sturridge has emphatically proved he belongs at the highest level.

Rodgers has been delighted by his development but says there is still some distance to go.“

I still think he can get more goals,” he added. “I think he can get into other areas which allow him to arrive in more positions to score.

“Daniel is still so young and has many years ahead of him. We try to encourage all players who come here – irrespective of age and where they are in their career – to learn and improve.

“It gives me great pride as a coach when I see individuals develop. You bring them here as part of the team but individually they all want to be better.

“Daniel is just one example of that. Lots of players have made improvements – the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Martin Skrtel.

“You’ve got Luis who has gone to world class level. Look at Steven Gerrard and his game now and the role he’s playing.

“When you bring it all together into a cohesive unit you get a really exciting team.”

Rodgers believes Sturridge has the potential to one day join the likes of Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, Billy Liddell, Gordon Hodgson and Robbie Fowler in the pantheon of great Anfield strikers.

“You would need to look at that in three or four years’ time,” he said.

“You have got to be consistently doing that for a few years before you can even consider that but he’s certainly got the potential.

“What Daniel has shown over the past year or so playing regularly is that if he can maintain his fitness and get on the field regularly then he will score goals – it’s as simple as that.”Liverpool head for the Emirates on a high after a remarkable week which propelled Rodgers’ side into the Premier League title race.

Last Saturday’s 5-1 thrashing of the high-flying Gunners was followed by the last-gasp 3-2 victory at lowly Fulham in midweek.

They were two contrasting performances but Rodgers insists they were equally as satisfying.

“It’s been well documented that our win against Arsenal was exceptional in every aspect,” he said.

“The win on Wednesday night really pleased me because we had to dig in. Fulham were very spirited after coming off the back of a draw at Old Trafford.

“We weren’t at our best but to show the character we did to come back twice was brilliant.

“At 2-2 with five minutes to go we were still calm, we still passed the ball. We didn’t lump it into the box, we didn’t play panic football.

“We worked the spaces, we were patient and that’s the sign of a very good side.

“Eventually we worked the ball and the space until young Joao (Carlos Teixeira) played a great ball into Daniel. We got the penalty and Steven stuck it away brilliantly.

“It’s what we’ve done a lot of this year. We have created lots of pressure on teams which has got us penalties and free-kicks in dangerous areas.

“That comes on the back of our composure and our idea of football. There was real maturity in that performance against Fulham.

“It wasn’t one of our best performances but it was just as significant as the Arsenal one.”

Daniel Agger is expected to start tomorrow after making his comeback from a calf injury as a late substitute against Fulham.

Kolo Toure is likely to make way.

Glen Johnson has returned to full training but won’t be rushed back into action.

“Daniel has had a really good week and a half training and looks very good,” Rodgers added.

“Glen is progressing but there is no rush at the moment because the team is doing exceptionally well.”

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