Liverpool legend John Barnes does not think there is anything wrong with Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling being left out of the England squad.
Sterling had a poor debut season at Chelsea following his transfer from Manchester City in July 2022.
He had enough credit in the bank at international level to be included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the World Cup but his last appearance for his country came in the quarter-final defeat to France in Qatar.
After a strong start to 2023/24 for Chelsea, many expected Southgate to recall the 28-year-old for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
That did not happen, however, and even after Jude Bellingham, James Maddison and Callum Wilson pulled out of the squad due to injury, Sterling was not called upon, instead, his new Blues teammate Cole Palmer was.
Speaking to Bonus Code Bets, ex-Liverpool and England forward Barnes said Sterling missing out is not an “issue”.
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“Raheem has played well in the last two or three games for Chelsea and Chelsea haven’t been doing too well up until recently,” he said.
“People are looking at the last two or three matches and saying he should be called up but if you look at the amount of talent available to Gareth Southgate it’s a tough situation to be in.
“I’ll always have Raheem in the England squad but I don’t think it’s an issue of Raheem not being in the squad.
“Raheem may warrant being in the squad based on recent form but the squad was picked before the [Manchester] City game so he will be back in the squad at some point.”
Barnes added that he fully trusts Southgate and his decision-making, especially when it comes to selecting his squad.
“Gareth Southgate picks the team and we trust Gareth Southgate,” he continued.
“Fans will always have an opinion on who should and shouldn’t be in the squad. I respect and trust what Gareth says and does. He knows how he wants his team to play.
“He may feel that what Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford have to offer may differ to what Raheem offers.
“Jack hasn’t been playing all the time, which is somewhat similar to Harry Maguire at United.
“Jack may be in the squad but may not be in the England starting 11 so therefore he’s an option off the bench. Whilst if you have Raheem in the squad you can’t have him on the bench. You’d want him on the team.”
England have already qualified for the European Championships in Germany next year so have nothing to play for against Malta at Wembley and North Macedonia in Skopje.
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