Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has suffered a further injury set back just days after returning to full training and is expected to have a scan on his thigh today.

Sturridge, who has only played three times in the Premier League this season, suffered a thigh strain in September whilst on international duty and then strained his calf in October.

His injury-prone season so far reminds us of some old favourites from the past. So, here are WNOL’s top 5 most injury-prone Premier League players:

5) The best centre back England never had – Jonathan Woodgate:

Woodgate started his career as a successful product of the Leeds youth academy before being sold to Newcastle United where the injuries started to pile up.

He was signed by Real Madrid in a deal which cost over €13 million but it took him over a year to make his first appearance for the Spanish club – a game where he scored an own goal and was sent off.

The injuries kept on coming, and he was loaned to Middleborough before signing for Tottenham, where the injuries struck again and he was released after injuring himself in his first game back after a year absence.

4) What a waste of money – Kieron Dyer:

Ten days after his West Ham debut, Dyer was stretchered off with a broken leg in two places during a League Cup game against Bristol Rovers. This injury effectively ended the best part of his career.

Despite previously playing nearly 100 games for hometown Ipswich and 190 appearances for Newcastle, he was never the same again.

He was hit with injury after injury, especially to his hamstring, and the midfielder was never able to play a full 90 minutes for West Ham in his handful of games between 2007 and 2010/11. He cost the club nearly £450,000 per appearance.

3) The gone down Gooner – Abou Diaby:

Since singing for Arsenal in 2006, Abou Diaby has been riddled with every injury under the sun. The first came just five months after joining the club when he suffered a severe ankle fracture.

Between 2006 and 2013 he picked up over 36 injuries, including: eight calf muscle strains, eight injuries to his right foot, one MCL knee ligament injury and one ACL knee ligament injury.

Although still contracted to Arsenal, it is rare to catch him play a multiple number of games in a row. In eight years he has made nearly 124 appearances.

2) England’s best, that England ruined – Owen Hargreaves:

Named England’s best player at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, he started his career with Bayern Munich but his injury hell started once he moved to Manchester United.

He broke his leg in 2007 and the injury was aggravated and worsened again just a year later. Following this, he was a vital part of Manchester United’s squad but then missed the whole following season.

His injuries meant it took him 777 days to play for Manchester United again – and when he did, we went of injured within six minutes.

The injuries continued when he signed for Manchester rivals City but managed to only start once meaning he didn’t manage to qualify for a Premier League winners medal with the club.

1) The king of injuries – Ledley King:

The defender had his career ruined by constant knee injuries that meant he couldn’t even train with the first team squad and play a game within the same week.

He first injured his knee in 2006, and afterwards it caused continuous injuries for the rest of his career that dictated the number of games he could play and limited his seasons. Alongside this he also picked up multiple groin injuries to add even further inconvenience.

King was named Tottenham Hotspur’s 25^th best player of all time, but announced his retirement in 2012 after 268 appearances for the North London club.

Picture credits: gutsgaming