a rift between him and Rodgers over Sturridge's injury. Sturridge was ruled out for another three more weeks after suffering a calf strain injury during training on 17 October. On 18 November, he broke down in training with a new thigh injury which saw him miss the next six weeks. After missing close to five months, Sturridge made his return to the team on 31 January in a 2–0 win over West Ham as a 68th-minute substitute for Lazar Marković, scoring in the 87th minute after a through ball from Philippe Coutinho. On 4 March, Sturridge scored the second goal in a 2–0 win over Burnley. Sturridge's injury-plagued season continued when he picked up a hip injury on 22 March in a 2–1 loss to rivals Manchester United, despite scoring Liverpool's lone goal. On 5 May, he underwent a successful hip operation in the United States that ruled him out until September, meaning he would miss the start of the new season. 2015–16 season After missing the first five matches of Liverpool's Premier League campaign due to injury, Sturridge made his first appearance of the season against Norwich City on 20 September 2015. He scored his first two goals of the season in a 3–2 victory against Aston Villa on 26 September. On 15 October, Sturridge suffered a knee injury in training that would rule him out another four weeks. On 2 December, he scored a brace in a 6–1 away win over Southampton in the quarter-final of the League Cup. Four days later he suffered another hamstring injury in a 2–0 defeat to Newcastle United, that ruled him out for two months. He returned to the team on 14 February 2016, scoring in a 6–0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park. 14 days later, he started in the 2016 League Cup Final loss to Manchester City, playing the full 120 minutes as Liverpool were defeated in a penalty shoot-out. On 10 March 2016, he scored his first Europa League goal for Liverpool in a 2–0 win over rivals Manchester United at Anfield. He scored his 50th goal for Liverpool in all competitions on 20 April, in a 4–0 win at home in the Merseyside derby; he is the fourth fastest Liverpool player to reach that landmark, doing so in 87 appearances. On 5 May 2016, Sturridge scored his 12th goal of the season in Liverpool's 3–0 win over