Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge says he looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry.

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has revealed he looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry as a young player with the hitman now shining at Merseyside alongside Luis Suarez.

Sturridge's move to the Reds at the beginning of the year has proven to be his breakthrough, after spending disappointing spells with Chelsea and Manchester City.

He has so far scored eight goals in the league and sits at the top of the scorers charts with Sergio Aguero and Suarez. And Sturridge says that he has always taken inspiration from United and Arsenal heroes Ronaldo and Henry as he looks to become better as a player.

"It's important to mix it up. When I was younger, I used to wear No.10 but I liked playing as a nine so it was kind of weird," Sturridge told Liverpool's official website. "When I was younger, I liked to watch players who dropped deep and pick the ball up like Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo. It's something I naturally do.

"I'm still working on my game as much as I can now, on strength and my left, but I'm playing in a position where I can play my natural game. I'm just really happy getting opportunities."

Ronaldo was one of Sir Alex Ferguson's greatest ever purchases for United and in six years with the club he was able to help them to three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League trophy.

His departure in 2009 for Real Madrid gifted United a record fee of £80m and he has long been connected with a possible return to Old Trafford as he continues to star in Spain.

Meanwhile, Henry status at Arsenal is such that a statue of him was errected outside the Emirates Stadium as part of the club's 125-year anniversary celebrations. With 228 goals to his name for the club - the most in their history - the Frenchman is highly thought of after spending eight years of his career in north London.

And both would certainly serve as good role models for Sturridge, who is hoping to help Liverpool to qualify for Champions League football this season and further prove that he was a bargain purchase for £12m.