Rodgers criticises treatment of Sterling

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has criticised the treatment of midfielder Raheem Sterling after his failure to appear in the recent England match. It is understood that the 19-year-old cited tiredness as a reason for not appearing in the latest Euro 2016 qualifiers for England. Roy Hodgson’s team managed a comfortable victory over Estonia in the last of the qualifiers in the month of October. This has put England in a commanding position in their group, but criticism of Sterling has come after he was completely left out of the team due to ‘tiredness’.

The commitment to the national team is often a much debated topic with many feeling that Sterling should have played the match given that he is just 19 years old and the season is only a few months old. There has also been a war of words between Rodgers and Hodgson. The Liverpool manager has been highly protective of his players even during extraordinary circumstances. He completely defended striker Luis Suarez when he was found guilty of racial abuse and biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. He does not appear to have changed from the stance, as he says that the Sterling issue is being blown out of proportion.

“It’s been grossly unfair how Sterling has been put in the back pages for something he clearly didn’t say. He’s back here in a secure environment and the last couple of days he has been back to normal. He was excellent in training this morning and working really well. I’ve been very fortunate to work with a brilliant young player here. He’s been absolutely incredible for me and his maturity has been really nice to see. I hope he will be a key player for England and for Liverpool,” said Rodgers. After the departure of Suarez, Sterling has become a very important player for Liverpool this season.