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Efter förlusten mot Arsenal fick Brendan Rodgers nya frågor om situationen kring Raheem Sterling. Nu har Rodgers tagit ett snack med Sterling, som han menar har dålig rådgivning: “I’ve had a good chat with [Sterling], gave my opinion. This is a young kid who has been advised to do something else. You’re not a 20-year-old boy who picks up the phone and asks to speak to the BBC. You don’t do it. And him in particular. He just wants to play his football. If he’s asked to do that by other parties, that’s what he will do. The focus will be very much on his football,” sa Rodgers:

Rodgers fortsatte med att berömma Sterling för dennes insats på Emirates Stadium: “There was no change in him. He was excellent today, our best player, aggressive in his running, pressed the ball well.”

Vidare underströk Rodgers åter igen att Sterling blir kvar i Liverpool: “Raheem just turned 20 in December. He still has a long way to go. He has a lot of potential. He can develop that over these next years at Liverpool,” said Rodgers. “It is the job particularly of his advisers to look at what possibilities may be beyond that. But with 2½ years [left on his existing contract] he won’t be going anywhere in the summer, that’s for sure. We will sit down with his representatives and hopefully find a solution. In my time in coaching there have been a lot of very good agents. The only thing I will say on the Raheem situation, everyone can see for his football development, and financial, is that Liverpool Football Club is the best place for him. He enjoys being at Liverpool. He loves playing for Liverpool. He knows that he’s privileged to play in front of Liverpool supporters. As a kid, he knows the opportunity there is for him to improve as a footballer.”

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Sterling har fått mottagit en hel del kritik från både fans, krönkörer och experter. Bland fansen råder delade meningar om hans agerande, men det verkar som att samtliga krönkörer och experter är överens om att Sterling agerade felaktigt när han snackade lite för mycket i en intervju som Liverpool dessutom inte hade godkänt.

Kritik kommer bland annat från den tidigare LFC-spelaren Steve McManaman: ”I think it’s ridiculous and you have to remember he’s only a 20-year-old boy, starting off his career. The people who are trying to guide him through his life have been ill-informed really. He’s now put himself under a huge amount of pressure, and he shouldn’t have. You don’t want to discuss your contract and leave it to the end of the season. Don’t go and do an interview talking about your contract. It’s baffling, absolutely baffling,” sa McManaman.