Daniel Sturridge accused of "taking the money" as Perth Glory spell comes to sorry end

Daniel Sturridge has been slammed online by fans after Perth Glory chief executive Tony Pignata admitted that the former Liverpool man is set to get the boot in the summer

Former Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge has been accused of "taking the money" at Perth Glory by fans - after it was hinted that his ill-fated stint in Australia is set to be cut short.

The 32-year-old striker ended an 18-month exile from the professional game back in October by penning a deal with the A-League side. But the headline-making move has been a disaster, with Sturridge managing just 93 minutes across five substitute appearances after being plagued by injuries.

And Glory chief executive Tony Pignata has now admitted that the club - who had "high hopes" after signing off the blockbuster deal for the ex-England star - are unlikely to try and tie him down to a new deal for next season.

“It has been disappointing. We had high hopes when we signed Daniel. It hasn’t worked,” Pignata told SEN’s The Global Game. “From a marketing point of view, the first game, we had 18,000 on the back of him arriving and the hype. Then unfortunately he got injured - and he hasn’t been seen since.

“He’s training and there’s potential that he could play some minutes this week and then finish off the season. Next year? Look, I doubt that we’ll offer him another contract.”

Fans have wasted no time in sticking the boot in on Sturridge online after Pignata's brutal comments - with one fan even going as far to claim that Sturridge's failure was "no surprise" and nothing new.

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The fan tweeted: "No surprise there. Sturridge has been taking the money, and playing when it suits him for years." And another reacted with a cheeky swipe at Pignata's claim that signing the former Chelsea and Manchester City man had backfired, quipping: "Rather large understatement."

Sturridge is now set to face another battle to keep his floundering career alive after a rotten run of luck with injuries. The striker's stock was at an all-time high back in 2014, when a career-high tally of 24 goals fired Liverpool to within a whisker of the Premier League title.

But after falling down the pecking order at Anfield - mainly due to injuries - Sturridge has faded into obscurity over the past few years. Uninspiring spells at West Brom and in Turkey with Trabzonspor came before he was slapped with a four-month worldwide playing ban after breaching betting rules. His reprieve in Australia hasn't worked out, with Glory currently bottom of the league.