INCE: WE NEED RUTHLESS RAHEEM

RAHEEM STERLING needs to develop a ruthless streak in front of goal, according to England legend Paul Ince. And Ian Wright and Alan Shearer would be the perfect teachers. Ince said: “To say Raheem is the main man in terms of being our most dangerous player is probably spot on. “But he has to be ruthless. He might get away with it against Panama or Tunisia but I’m telling you now, the further you go in the competition, the more likely it is you’ll get one chance.

“And if it doesn’t fall to Harry Kane but falls to Sterling...

“At City, Sterling scores a lot of goals but a lot of them are tap-ins.

“He scored one worldie I remember in the top corner last season but a lot were tap-ins and he’s not the ultimate finisher.

“He gets himself in great positions, like we saw against Nigeria, but he puts shots over the bar and he has to be more clinical.

“Sterling (right) might get one chance against Belgium, one chance against Brazil, whoever, and then he has to be clinical.

Deadly

“The further England go, the more ruthless he has to become.”

Ince’s old team-mates Wright and Shearer were both deadly in front of goal.

Ince added: “People have to understand there is an art to everything, and that includes tackling or shooting.

“I watch Sterling and I think, ‘He should go and spend half a day with Ian Wright, a great striker like that, or Alan Shearer, just learning the fundamentals of how to shoot’.

“It’s not just about kicking the ball and hoping it goes in, there are short strides, long strides, different dynamics to shooting.

“I’d love to see him go and spend time with Wrighty or Shearer and ask, ‘What am I doing wrong here?’ There was a chance against Nigeria on his left foot and he should have dinked it over the keeper – but he dragged it.

“If that was Wrighty he’d have dinked it because it was the right thing to do at the right time and Sterling has to learn decisionmaking at the right time in front of goal.”