Daniel Sturridge has spoken of his respect and admiration for Steven Gerrard.

With the skipper set to leave the club at the end of the season after a glorious career at Anfield, Sturridge is eager to play as many minutes as he can alongside the talismanic No.8.

"This guy is a living legend," said Sturridge.

"Words can't describe what he has done not just for the club but for the players as well. He helps players settle in, young players. He takes them under his wing. We will never be able to repay him for that.

"His stature and his demeanour will be very difficult to replace but we have to. It will take time. That guy will always be a legend in my eyes. I am in awe of him now."

After missing five months of the campaign through injury Sturridge is now fully fit and the focal point of Liverpool's attack as he looks to help Brendan Rodgers' charges make the top-four and also book a Wembley trip in the FA Cup.

The striker admits his strong faith helped him through the period of being on the sidelines and is now raring to go and score as many goals as he can.

He added: "I am grateful to God for everything that I have had in the past and everything I will have in the future.

"You have setbacks, you have comebacks, you have glories, you don't have glories. Not everything is going to be rosy and sweet all the time. There are going to be times in your life when you go through certain situations that test your character, test your courage, test your faith, test your self-belief, test everything.

"There is no doubt in my mind. I believe in myself. I believe in God. I have faith. I have faith in my abilities. I have no worries about anything.

"I know that I will come back to scoring goals regularly and doing what I love, playing every game.

"I will get the time back at the end of my career because I haven't got the miles on the clock. The car's been fixed but the miles aren't there."