If you had to point to one non-Arsenal player who was made of pure Arsenal DNA, then you’d probably pick Daniel Sturridge.

Currently sidelined with a hip injury, the striker is set to miss the season opener as he struggles, once again.

But it seems as if the constant media spotlight on his inability to stay fit, is starting to annoy him.

“I feel like I’m under the microscope,” he told the Times. “It’s a case of, ‘What’s going on with Daniel?’ It should be a case of, ‘What’s happening with Liverpool?’ I’m part of the team and that’s it.

“If I have a little niggle, why should it overshadow Liverpool? Missing a game against Barcelona (last Saturday), was very minor, nothing serious, and that (his hip) is going to heal up very fast.

“Not everyone is as strong as I am. But it’s down to reporters to understand that what they write does have an effect on footballers.

“It’s not something that’s chip-shop paper, like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll write this, tomorrow I’ll get a headline, the player won’t mind about it, he doesn’t care.’

“Every player cares about what a reporter writes. It affects just not them but their family, the fans’ perception, the club’s perception. You (reporters) should be more responsible.

“I’ve played with many injuries, many a tear, many a bruise.

“As you get to my age, you understand what you can’t do when your body is at its limit, when you can’t push a muscle strain, when you can’t push a bruise.

“There’s wear and tear. You play the game, you’re knackered, you can’t lift your legs but the next day, you get up and you go running again, you go playing again.

“You might get a kick the day before the game but you’re not going to pull out of the match.

“I’ve always pushed myself, always wanted to be successful, always strived to be recognised as one of the best strikers in the world.

“I don’t worry about injuries at all. It’s something I have to accept. God gave me this body and gave me so many talents, so I have to take the rough with the smooth.

“If I wasn’t so talented a footballer, nobody would care if I was injured and never played again. I live a healthy lifestyle. In time, I’ll still be showing people I’m one of the best strikers in the world. I never doubt it.”

Touchy, much?

Liverpool face a number of injury problems ahead of the game, but Arsenal have their own to worry about.

Per Mertesacker, the latest Arsenal captain who is unlikely to play very much, is out along with Gabriel, Jack Wilshere, Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud. Carl Jenkinson is still out, and not expected back before November, while nobody has the slightest clue where they left Yaya Sanogo.