Daniel Sturridge reckons Arne Slot should field all three of his major summer acquisitions together for the first time in the Premier League when Liverpool face Leeds United on Saturday. The former Reds striker has also revealed the anguish he feels watching his old team-mate Mohamed Salah relegated to the bench.

Salah found himself amongst the substitutes for the second consecutive match on Wednesday when Liverpool hosted Sunderland. Following a disappointing first-half display, he was introduced at the interval.

Yet the Anfield icon couldn’t quite spark Liverpool into life, with the Reds salvaging a 1-1 draw when Florian Wirtz’s effort deflected in off Nordi Mukiele with nine minutes of normal time left on the clock.

That rounded off another promising display from the German, though it proved a night to forget for the player whose price tag surpassed that of Wirtz.

Alexander Isak retained his starting berth ahead of Hugo Ekitike following his maiden Premier League goal for the club in Sunday’s 2-0 victory at West Ham United.

However, Isak looked unlikely to add to his goal tally against the Black Cats in midweek and was withdrawn late on by Federico Chiesa after a fleeting appearance alongside Isak, Wirtz and Salah.

Speaking on Sky Sports during their match coverage, Sturridge commented: “I’m not the manager, I can’t decide what I believe he will do, but I’m saying if you’re going to change the formation and play slightly different then I would go all the way with it

“Say, ‘okay, let’s have a look at Ekitike and Isak up top and see whether that’s the answer’. If you’re going to leave Salah out again then I would try something different, have Wirtz in a number 10 behind them and see if that can open a few doors.”

This marked the first instance in Salah’s illustrious Liverpool career where he found himself warming the bench for two consecutive Premier League matches.

Jamie Redknapp, another former Red, speculated during a Sky Sports studio discussion alongside Sturridge, that the Egyptian superstar might depart from the club, possibly as soon as January.

While Sturridge didn’t agree with this prediction, he did concede that his former team-mate appears discontented. He stated, “You never know in football, but I’d like to think not.

“Has he been performing to his level? No he hasn’t, but nobody else has. He wants to be the reason they win, attackers are driven that way and Mo has delivered that at the club.

“But I am not quite sure he is the reason why Liverpool aren’t (winning) – last season he was the reason they won the league and now we are quick to question (him).

“It hurts me to see. I can tell he is not happy and you wouldn’t be because you are used to being the main man. There comes a time when there is a decision to make, but I don’t think this is the stage we are at. The club and Salah can turn it around.”

While the stalemate with Sunderland marked consecutive matches without a loss for the Reds ahead of a challenging visit to Leeds, who are riding high following their surprise 3-1 home victory over Chelsea, the display left more doubts than certainties.

Sturridge commented: “I don’t think there’s a magic fix right now, to put my finger on one thing. I think the manager, at this moment in time, doesn’t quite know his best XI.

“Players are coming back and trying to find their fitness. Wirtz is trying to get sharp again; Isak’s not completely sharp at his level; we saw Joe Gomez come in tonight at right-back, he’s not been on the pitch starting games in a while.

“So collectively, players are finding their rhythm but the team’s finding their rhythm.

“And many people, including the manager, are probably seeking confidence and assurances that ‘this is what I’m going with, this is the structure’.”