Roy Hodgson believes that despite a poor season with Manchester City, young Winger Raheem Sterling still has a major role to play in the national team.
The 21 year old has endured a poor time at Manchester City this season, seeing himself fall down the pecking order under Manuel Pellegrini. However, despite the fans doubt he made an appearance against Turkey earlier this week- solidifying the fact that he will appear in the Euro 2016 squad.
However Sterling, who went to Brazil for the World cup two years ago with Roy Hodgson, is said to have nothing to prove to the England Gaffer.
“We probably might have to differ, but I thought he played well against Turkey,” Hodgson explained. “My personal feeling was Raheem played well
“I’m taking players who are coming from teams where they are maybe not playing so well or not getting a game, but it’s always been the case for me and has been for the last three years.
“If I believe in them, and think they have the qualities we want, we have to try to get those qualities out and play them in the positions where we think they do their best work.”
Sterling seemed to impress Hodgson during the international match against Turkey, and can potentially see himself be a regular starter along with Jack Wilshere, who spent the season out injured.
“The sharpness is coming,” Hodgson said. “He certainly didn’t show any signs of having any particular physical problems. It was still the Jack Wilshere that I remember.
“What bothered me most about him was ‘was he going to be limping around? Was he going to be able to do the running and the movements I associate with him? Because he is, of course, a different type of midfield player to the others.
“I’m rather hoping he is going to be able to join us. We hope that with every training session and every week that goes by he is going to get fitter.
“We also hope to stay in the tournament a little while, so I don’t think we should be too worried about him at this point of time in May.
“We should be thinking ahead to the middle or end of June and saying ‘could this be a guy who helps us win a match?’
“He’s definitely got that ability and I think he showed that in the first half when we had some of our better attacking movements.”
