The Football Association has suspended former Liverpool and England striker Daniel Sturridge for six weeks and fined him £75,000 over breaching betting rules.

The censure, however, is a rather toothless one.

Four of the six weeks were suspended and the 29-year-old Birmingham native is free to play again on July 31. But Sturridge is still without a club and competitive fixtures in England do not begin until August 2.

A majority of the charges Sturridge faced over allegedly passing on inside information on a potential transfer in January of 2018 were thrown out.

"I am pleased that nine of the 11 charges were dismissed and that the panel found me to be an honest and credible witness, and that my actions on one particularly difficult day were out of character," Sturridge said in a statement.

Capped 26 times by England, Sturridge spent the last seven seasons at Anfield with a brief loan spell at West Brom.

A product of the Manchester City academy, Sturridge also spent time with City and Chelsea.

In 218 combined Premier League appearances, Sturridge has 78 career goals.