Raheem Sterling unfairly judged on his goals but he’s a winger, says Man City legend Shaun Wright-Phillips
RAHEEM STERLING got the royal seal of approval on Tuesday — now England fans should start treating him like a king.
Shaun Wright-Phillips believes Sterling is underappreciated by supporters because he is unfairly judged against world-class strikers, when he is actually a winger.
Manchester City star Sterling spent time with Prince William in the Caribbean earlier this week and will report for England duty today.
He was given permission by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate to join his team-mates a day late, after answering the personal invite from the Duke of Cambridge.
Sterling, who has Jamaican heritage, found his chances at City limited either side of the summer break last year.
However, City chief Pep Guardiola began using him as a makeshift centre-forward after the departure of Sergio Aguero.
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And Sterling, 27, has played his part in keeping City challenging on three fronts — scoring his 14th goal of the season in Sunday’s 4-1 FA Cup win at Southampton.
It is a decent tally considering he has started just 24 games this term and had little experience of playing down the middle before this.
Former City star Wright-Phillips said: “Everyone says that it was a blip last year but people sometimes forget he’s still young. They forget he’s a winger that is now classed as a striker.
“His game changed a lot under Pep and you can say, in a way, it’s made him a lot better.