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Robbie Fowler has backed Daniel Sturridge to keep giving Jurgen Klopp a selection headache – all the way to the Europa League final in Basel.

The 26-year-old striker, left out for the away leg of Liverpool's semi-final with Villarreal, was restored to the line-up for the return leg at Anfield, and it paid dividends as he scored the crucial second goal in a 3-0 win.

Speculation over Sturridge's future on Merseyside has continued – speculation both the player and manager have been keen to quell – as he has struggled to establish himself as first-choice under Klopp.

Divock Origi was preferred to Sturridge for both legs of Liverpool's Europa League quarter-final with Borussia Dortmund, while Roberto Firmino was selected in Origi's absence for the first game with Villarreal.

But back in the side on Thursday, Sturridge scored one and was involved in the other two as the Reds booked their place in Basel, where they will face Sevilla on May 18.

And Liverpool legend Fowler believes Sturridge can continuing showing Klopp what he's capable of ahead of the final.

“He is a player who will score you goals, sometimes out of nothing,” Fowler told the ECHO. “You look at his current form and his goal-to-game ratio and it's fantastic, so long may it continue.

“Of course, as a player you always want to play - I don't care what position you play. Sometimes he might come across as moody, a little bit sulky at times if he's not playing, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

“If you're a player and you're happy with not playing and sitting on the bench, you shouldn't be a player.

“I like the fact he wants to come on and prove people wrong, saying 'this is why I should be playing' – ok, it's up to the manager in the long-term who he's going to play and where he'll play certain players.

“But when Daniel Sturridge can do what he does...if he's not playing, then he comes in and scores goals, and gives the manager as big of a headache as he possibly can.

“We've had some unbelievable goalscorers in the past, the likes of Ian Rush and John Aldridge, they were confident players and when you're scoring goals, the more confident you are, and the more confident the team is. I like what he does.”

Sturridge would currently be in pole position to start against the Europa League holders later this month, but Origi is eyeing up a return from his ankle injury, inflicted by Ramiro Funes Mori in the Merseyside derby in April.

Klopp revealed he has set the Belgian striker – as well as captain Jordan Henderson – a deadline of the final game of the season, away to West Brom on May 15, to prove their fitness ahead of the Sevilla clash.

If Origi does play some part in the game at the Hawthorns, then Klopp will have a huge selection dilemma three days later against the Spanish side – but Fowler believes form is the deciding factor when Klopp picks his starting line-up.

“I couldn't tell you who should get the nod,” he added. “You're talking two weeks away, so it's not that far.

“Hopefully if and when he's back, Origi has to be fully fit. He will want to play if it is a European final but you have to play those who are fit.

“Players can come back after a lay-off and struggle. Maybe coming back into the game is not ideal, maybe he might offer a little more coming on as a substitute. We want players going into the final on a good, rich vein of form.”

Liverpool will prepare for their second final under Klopp, just eight months after he was appointed manager at Anfield.

Having lost the Capital One Cup final to Manchester City in February, the German coach has an immediate chance of redemption – and the opportunity to win just his second cup final, and his first since his Borussia Dortmund side beat Bayern Munich in the German Cup in 2012.

Fowler, however, already believes Klopp has achieved something special on Merseyside as the side have undergone a transformation both on and off the pitch.

He said: “If you always have the crowd behind you, that lifts the players. Klopp is a manager you want to run through brick walls for, too. He certainly brings out the best in his players.

“You look at the team now to what they were at the start of the Europa League group stages – I wouldn't say we were woeful, but we weren't great. You look at the first few games – Bordeaux, Sion - and they were not great games, but to see where we are now, it's an unbelievable achievement because of the performances.

“It was magnificent against Villarreal. I was nervous leading into the game – I didn't think they were necessarily a great side but they defended brilliant in the first leg, they were hard to break down, and I fully expected them to be the same at Anfield.

“From the first whistle, the way the lads pressed them and closed them down, there was only going to be one winner. Maybe the occasion was too big for them, the crowd again was magnificent, and it definitely helps the players. James Milner come out and said that, and he's spot on.

“Villarreal looked a bit overawed because of the crowd – and, of course, the performance by the team. I don't think there was an outstanding individual performance, there were very good performances, but as a team I thought they were excellent last night.”

Fowler was a hero the last time Liverpool reached the final of the competition in 2001, scoring nine minutes after coming on as a substitute as the Reds beat Alaves 5-4 in Dortmund.

With such fond memories of the tournament, he is a firm believer of the importance of the Europa League, despite its lesser status alongside the Champions League.

“All finals are brilliant, I don't get when people say 'it's just the Europa League' – there's only two European cups you can win,” Fowler said. “It's a massive tournament, a massive trophy to win, fortunately I've won it and it's a huge trophy, and it's imperative that the club tries to win it because it gets us into the Champions League.

“We're not going to get in there via the league so this is our one and only hope, and who knows what it will bring? Winning this could maybe attract more players who we want to see at the club.”

* Robbie Fowler was speaking at the launch of an exciting new partnership between the Fowler Education and Football Academy (FEFA) and AGM Soccer.

It will open up opportunities for the Academy's students to get college scholarships in America.

AGM Soccer's managing director is Winston White, the former Bury and Burnley winger.

“I'm based in the US, I'm an ex-player in the UK and played nearly 600 league games, and I did my academia after I finished playing, so I'm really passionate about giving young, talented lads a Plan B,” White said.

“The chances are a lot of them won't make it, so it's really important for them to have a pathway to a successful life whatever that may be. So between us, that's what we plan to do.

“Football really can be unforgiving. Players like myself and Robbie remember the highs, but we certainly remember a lot of lows as well.

“But that is something that is not talked about. One of the worst lows is when you finish your career – I ended my career aged 34 and went into a dark hole for a while, because all I had done from the age of 16 was play football.

“You need to have a Plan B. If you have a good education that will give you the confidence, and that will align with your football talent as well to get a grasp on what's going on in the real world.

“It gives it gravitas that Robbie is on board, Robbie totally gets it, he's from a humble background – like I am as well – and when you see kids similar to yourself, you really want to do something about that.

“The parents are the most important thing in this situation with regards to getting their kids to understand this is a pathway for them. Just because they go out to the US doesn't mean they're going to spend the rest of their lives there.

“The combines (the draft system in the US out of university) saw the first pick for New York City was an English player released by Manchester United. He decided to go to the US, and he did well over there, and now he's earning really good money.

“Now he has potential to come back to the UK, so there are really good stories for players who go out there.”

The Fowler Academy are still taking applications for the next intake in September. For more details go to: http://www.thefefa.co.uk/