Raheem to revel in the fans’ abuse
BY THE time of the 2018 World Cup fi nals, who knows what impact Raheem Sterling would have had on the Premier League.
But as the new season edges closer, England manager Roy Hodgson is certain of one thing – Manchester City’s new £ 44 million signing will thrive on the abuse he is likely to receive from fans.
Sterling should play a major part on England’s road to Russia. But the 20- year- old has seen his standing hit rock bottom after the antics he used to engineer a move from Liverpool and was targeted for abuse when England played the Republic of Ireland in Dublin last month as well as on City’s pre- season tour in Australia.
“The fact is he was playing for a club with a very strong fan base, not only in England but in other parts of the world,” said Hodgson. “The fans locally at Liverpool took unkindly to the fact he made it clear he wanted to move.
“If anything that will help him to mature and improve. He is a remarkably strong and robust person, not just physically on the fi eld but mentally.
“And these things, if anything, will make him stronger. He has a big price tag to carry around, but he is a good enough player to do so.
“We have always had him in our 25 as a player for the future and we think, if we are ever going to become a really good team, we n e e d p l a y e r s like him because of his exceptional talent.”
One benefi t from Sterling’s move, according to Hodgson, was the attacking m i d f i e l d e r would again be playing Champions League football.
“Ideally you want all of them in the Champions League,” he said of his squad. “But we don’t live in an ideal world and the fact is the clubs, especially at the top of the Premier League, have an awful lot of money.
“They can buy players from any country in the world. England and the Premier League today is like how Italy was when I worked there in the Nineties.
“English players are going to be competing against world stars. But I think that could be an advantage in the long run.
“We are a young team and we have a lot of growing up to do. The players are approaching it in the right way and all these things will be a further string to their bows.” Hodgson has seen some of his other stalwarts move over the summer, with Aston Villa’s F a b i a n
D e l p h going to City and James Milner switching from City to Liverpool.
“If the players are happy and content with their moves I still expect them to be the Delph, Sterling and Milner I have got to know and respect and like at their previous clubs,” he said.
“I have no reason to fear any move. I just want them to play. However, there are always going to be some of them who don’t play regularly for their teams.
“We have done OK so far with players who haven’t necessarily played every game for their club.”
England were drawn with Scotland, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia in World Cup qualifying Group F.
Yesterday the schedule was confi rmed and Hodgson said: “Scotland is the stand- out fi xture for everybody with the fi erce rivalry that we have. If the recent friendlies with Scotland are anything to go by, they will be e x c i t i n g
games.”