Andy Cole heaped praise on Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling and shared that the 23-year-old had improved under Pep Guardiola.
The Manchester United legend shared that he thought the media unfairly criticised the Man City attacker for his performances for England and shared that he thought he deserved a lot better.
Andy Cole pointed out that Sterling is able to be unbelievable for Man City, noting Guardiola’s belief in him, and that you don’t just become a bad player once you pull on an England shirt.
“Some of the publicity he gets is very unjust because I do generally believe he deserves a lot better,” said Cole on BBC One’s Football Focus (Saturday October 13, 12:20pm).
“Whether he plays for England or for Manchester City for instance, Pep Guardiola believes in him about how good he can be and how good he is.
“His performances for Man City have been unbelievable so when he’s trying to transform that into the England team, you’ve got to work with him, you don’t become a bad player because you play for England then fantastic for Man City on the Saturdays.
“Oh he has improved so much, I still believe he can score more goals cause he has definitely got that in his locker but his performances over the last couple of seasons have been top-draw.”
OPINION
Cole is spot-on as every time Sterling pulls on an England shirt, he is treated like public enemy number one. This was once again the case during England’s 0-0 draw with Croatia on Friday night as fans of multiple clubs took to Twitter to destroy the winger for his latest display. However while Sterling was disappointing for his nation, it is hard to find an England player who did do well for his nation on Friday. Yet despite this being the case neutrals zoned in on Sterling’s latest display and seem to enjoy slamming him for his outing. Cole is right to highlight that Sterling’s improvement for Man City over the last two season as it’s clear that Guardiola’s presence has transformed him for the better. The former Man United forward highlights the fact that the illustrious manager simply believes in Sterling and his potential, so it’s clear to see why the winger is able to excel for his club and not his country. England manager Gareth Southgate may shower Sterling in praise behind the scenes but once he steps foot on the pitch for his nation that doesn’t matter as fans and the media ensure that he is harshly judged.