Raheem Sterling’s Lithuania performance bodes well for England future

Raheem Sterling’s performance for England in their 4-0 win against Lithuania has gone somewhat unnoticed due to the headlines about debutant goalscorer Harry Kane. The Liverpool winger was outstanding, particularly in the second-half, and his efforts led to him scoring and making an assist.

The 20-year-old showcased his blistering pace and quick feet on many occasions in the last 45th minutes against Lithuania, running rings around the defenders in the final third. His opposition couldn’t handle him, and it was a performance supporters have long been waiting for. The win was impressive, but Danny Welbeck was named man-of-the-match, and a debut goal from Harry Kane also distracted from the Liverpudlian’s performance.

It’s easy to forget how young Sterling is, and how long he’s been in and around the national team, but he continues to be a regular for club and country, and is showing no signs of slowing down. He’s already made 14 caps for the Three Lions, and finally scored his first goal against Lithuania, with a somewhat simple tap-in from close range.

He’s was deadly in the second-half, making 11 dribbles in the whole game, attracting fouls and getting shots on goal away too. Sterling has continued to impress for Liverpool, playing in multiple roles to cover for absentees in key areas, and he’s continued to find the back of the net regardless.

This season, the 20-year-old has scored six goals and has made seven assists in 27 Premier League starts for Liverpool. He’s created 62 chances, while making 83 successful dribbles. Sterling has already surpassed 110 appearances in four seasons for the Merseysiders, and could well provide more than 10+ years of service.

Sterling’s future with Liverpool has been questioned, with Champions League & Copa Del Rey holders Real Madrid linked with a potential summer move for the England international. The Reds are said to have offered a lucrative contract to tempt him to stay in the Premier League, as he’s showing real potential to hit incredible heights in his career. England manager Roy Hodgson has long been a fan of Sterling, and will be delighted with his performance this evening. The winger has been struggling for fitness due to playing in so many games in all competitions for club and country, but he was certainly looking back to his best at Wembley.

His dribbling skills saw him almost score single-handledly on many occasions, and it’s such individual brilliance that England could well benefit from in the big games. Harry Kane may have grabbed the headlines, but Sterling was outstanding this evening, and deserves credit for an incredible showing.

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