The England striker says he was encouraged to move to Anfield by his former team-mate, who is supposed to have said the Merseysiders are ‘the best club I have played for’

Daniel Sturridge says Fernando Torres’ enduring love of Liverpool persuaded him to join the Reds from Chelsea.

The England international joined Brendan Rodgers’ side in January 2013 for around £12 million (€14.3m) and has helped spearhead the club’s title charge this season with 18 league goals.

Sturridge has now revealed that former Anfield favourite Torres played a major role in his decision to leave Chelsea.

“He always spoke very highly about Liverpool,” the 24-year-old told the Daily Mail.

“When we were at Chelsea together he would say, ‘Liverpool are amazing.’ It wasn’t just him – it was Yossi Benayoun as well. They both said, ‘That club is the best I have played for.’

“They said, ‘The fans will make you feel amazing.’ And, at the time, I thought I need a bit of that in my life because I was low right then.

“I need to feel good about myself, so it was an easy decision to come here. My dad, my uncle and I all shared the same opinion: this was the best place to go.

“When Liverpool came in, it was one of those situations that I just wanted to get up the M6 as quickly as possible, sign on the dotted line and get to work.

“I was desperate to get here and show what I could do. I was hungry and I am still hungry. There is so much for us to achieve.”

Sturridge joined Manchester City as a 13-year-old in 2003 but never established himself as a first-team regular, which lead to a move to Chelsea in 2009.

And he insists that all he has ever wanted was the opportunity to play football, rather than collect a big pay packet.

“Maybe because I played for City and Chelsea, people think, ‘Oh he has played for big clubs.’ But I have always chased to play,” he added.

“I want to be successful, I’m a winner and I’ve always wanted to win – but it’s not about sitting on the bench, it’s not about watching from the sidelines and earning money and being content.

“It’s about playing, living your dream, winning medals and leaving the pitch with a smile on your face.

“People think I got loads of money at City and left for Chelsea to chase more money. They said ‘he’s a money grabber’ yet they were the richest club in the world, so how was I chasing the money when I was leaving them?”