Newcastle United transfer news: Rafael Benitez should sign Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge says Shay Given

Former Newcastle United and Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given believes Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge should be a realistic target for the Magpies manager Rafael Benitez in the January transfer window.

The England international has been struggling with injuries, which has restricted his first team appearances in the last few seasons. Whenever he has managed to make himself available, he has not been preferred by the Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.

Sturridge has made five starts in the Premier League and has collectively made 23 starts so far in the last three seasons (including this season). The competition for the place in the starting lineup has been even tougher, especially after the arrival of Mohamed Salah in the summer.

Klopp has used Salah, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane to lead his attack. Sturridge has fallen down the pecking order at Liverpool and Given has urged Newcastle to bring the striker to the St James' Park.

"I think so, yeah. Why not? He's [Sturridge] not playing regularly at Liverpool. I'm sure Rafa knows lots about him with the Liverpool connections and that would be really good," Given told the Express.

"On [Alexis] Sanchez, I don't actually know where that name came from. I've seen my name with it, saying that Sanchez should go to Newcastle. I don't know who said that. I think that would be too far.

"But somebody, like Sturridge, why not? You'd have to ask Daniel if he'd want to come. But we're not gonna be able to attract the big, big stars, it's a sort of process of getting to that level where you can compete with the big clubs to sign the likes of Sanchez."

Sturridge has 18 months left on his contract at Anfield, worth £150,000-a-week ($201,837 per week). Klopp is unlikely to allow the former City and Chelsea striker leave the club in the mid-season transfer window, especially after Liverpool manager earlier stressed the frontman will stay at the club until the end of the season.

"The situation with the player is completely ok. I can imagine actually that a player with these qualities is not happy he is not starting all the time. I really can imagine that. But that's all," Klopp said, as quoted by the Mirror in November.

"At the moment we need all our players. So we have November, and even if he feels a little different, there is a month and a half to go until any window opens and until then I don't think a second about things like this. We have so many games to go until then and we need all of them, and that's what we show them."