England captain Steven Gerrard believes that his Liverpool teammate Daniel Sturridge will take "big confidence" from playing as a central striker for the national team.

The 24-year-old opened the scoring with a curled effort just after the half-hour mark as the Three Lions recorded a 3-0 win against Peru on Friday evening.

Gerrard claimed that he wasn't surprised by the forward's goal, and thinks that playing Sturridge in his favoured role will only benefit Roy Hodgson's side at the World Cup.

"[Sturridge's goal] doesn't surprise me, I've seen it all season with Daniel," the skipper told Sky Sports News.

"I think he got big confidence from the manager putting him in his favoured position, and I think that goal will do wonders for him.

"If we're to progress and do well in this World Cup, we need Daniel and Wayne Rooney, and the other forward to produce magical moments. Everyone's in good shape and ready for Miami."

England now head to Miami for friendlies with Ecuador and Honduras.