We all saw what 19-year old Raheem Sterling can do last season. After a bit of uncertainty about the youngster, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers put his faith in the attacker and it’s paid off in spades.
With nine goals and five assists to his name, Sterling played a major role in the Reds title run — and his manager thinks he could do the same at the World Cup next month. “Raheem is an offensive player, a creative player who works hard,” said the Northern Irishman ahead of this summers show-piece event. “If he is given the opportunity to play how he can play, whether at the point of a diamond or on the sides, then he could be one of the stars of the World Cup for me.”
Much of the plaudits in the first half of the season fell to Liverpool’s deadly strike partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge with the paid combining for a staggering 52-goals over the course of the campaign, but as he became more comfortable in the side, the remarkable maturity and growth shown by Sterling cemented his place as an integral part of the Reds deadly three-pronged attack.
The youngster is one of five Liverpool players in Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad, and though there’s questions about how this relatively young team will handle the pressure of the world’s biggest stage, Rodgers isn’t concerned about Sterling’s bottle. “He has already shown that he can play in a league that is not just a British league but a league full of world-class, international players” enthused the Anfield boss. “His best games have been against the best teams – Arsenal, United and Manchester City – so he is more than capable.”
There’s always been a bit of a mental blockade for even the most seasoned veterans when they pull on the Three Lion’s shirt — it’ll be interesting to see if young Raheem can buck that trend.
