Former Liverpool player, John Barnes, has warned the Reds fans not to set too many expectations with Raheem Sterling, and hoped that the juvenile winger will come up good at the international stage.
The 17-year old, who has been one of the star performers for the Merseyside outfit in their shaky start to the campaign, was included in the national squad earlier this week by Roy Hodgson.
The diminutive forward has already been tipped by many to do extraordinary things this season, and appears to have caught the fast track in his development process.
Already, he has made 5 professional appearances for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429.
Having already mesmerized the crowds with his scintillating runs and sound playing technique, Sterling is now started to be considered by many as the answer to the Reds problems upfront.
However, Barnes has cautioned the fans not to get carried away while making predictions about the player’s future. He was of the opinion that setting extraordinary expectations with a player who has just started his career could have an adverse affect on
his performance, and called upon his manager to shield him from over exposure.
“To put all the expectations on a young boy’s shoulders is unrealistic,” he told the reporters.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on him at all because he’s playing in a team that’s not playing particularly well at the moment… I’m urging other people not to expect too much and not to put him under pressure.”
Sterling’s admission in the winger role has come at the expense of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Stewart-Downing-c34221, as Brendan Rodgers has instead opted to assign defensive duties to the 28-year old.
Even though the English International has been made to relinquish his more preferred role in the team, he backed Sterling to come up good at his position.
The former Aston Villa player believed that the winger deserved his promotion to the starting-eleven, and the presence of a number of senior players around him will only serve to expedite his progress.
“He’s very mature for his age… He’s got a lot of experienced players around him and that is similar to how it was for me at Middlesbrough when I was young,” he added.
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