Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand have showered praises on Manchester City star and Arsenal target Raheem Sterling for his performances at the Euros.
Speaking on BBC Sport (h/t Football.london), former England international and ex-Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has lavished praise on Raheem Sterling for his performances in the UEFA Euro 2020 so far.
The 26-year-old Sterling has been the standout performer for the Three Lions so far in the competition, playing a key role in their progression to the semi-finals. The Manchester City winger came into the Euros after a difficult ending to the 2020/21 term with Manchester City, which had led to speculations over his future at the Etihad.
Arsenal have emerged as one of the suitors for Sterling this summer, and the list could only continue to rise given the way he has performed so far in the European Championships. And Lampard, who is doing pundit duties with the BBC, was full of praise for the Manchester City ace and the character that he has shown to turn things around in the manner he has.
“He’s excellent, I love him as a player. He’s had a dip in form, and he’ll admit that, but what we’re seeing now is the player we’ve seen for the last three years. If I’m talking to a young, wannabe winger now who wants to play, he’s an example on the pitch and off the pitch. He’s had tough times, but now he’s coming through it and he looks like a man. He’s just a world-class player,” the former Chelsea boss said.
Joining Lampard in praising Sterling was another Premier League legend and former England international, Rio Ferdinand. The ex-Manchester United defender hailed the Arsenal transfer target’s ability to bounce back from criticism and difficult situations, insisting that he had become one of Gareth Southgate’s most important players.
“He’s undoubtedly been our best player at this tournament, our most effective player. There’s a steeliness about him, he mentioned in that VT (before the game) there that he’s had criticism during his career, he’s always answered the criticism,” Ferdinand said.
“He’s very single-minded, he’s focused, he thinks about, not just the pitch, but there’s other things that come into play – the mentality, the understanding of what he needs to do off the pitch in terms of preparation and recovery, the detail he goes into to make sure he plays and performs at this level continuously.”
Sterling, so far, has scored three goals for England at the Euros, and while he did not find the back of the net in the quarter-final against Ukraine, the Manchester City star did make an impact with a fine assist for Harry Kane’s opener as the team won 4-0. Undoubtedly, he will have a huge role to play when the Three Lions take on Denmark in the semi-final.
